Police cars, bicycles, horses...golf carts?

PARIS - The idea of a police department golf cart is an unusual, but creative, way to solve a problem, school officials and Paris police think.

According to SAD 17 Rick Colpitts, the issue is the newly refurbished trail between the River Street and the Comprehensive High School. The nearly mile-long Riverside Trail enables walkers to go from the grounds of one building to another without going onto Main Street, by means of a gravel trail, about 350 feet of which is of board walk. The trail provides splendid views of the rapids in the Little Androscoggin River. At the same time, it provides a pleasant quiet and secluded nature walk, for either classes, exercise or interested members of the public.

The trail was mostly funded by donations from New Balance and the Healthy Oxford Hills (HOH), said the health agency's director, Ken Morse.

However, Colpitts said there are concerns that the trail could be misused as a place for student or others avoiding observation for nefarious activities.

Paris Police Chief David Verrier seconds those views, but he also points out that the department has had, and used, golf carts in the past, as an educational tool. Student drivers were able to drive through an obstacle course in the cart. Then they would be asked to repeat the drive wearing so-called "fatal vision goggles" that simulate the effects of various amounts of alcohol. He would like to be able to start offering that experience at the school again.

Most of the approximately $2,000 cost of a used cart would be covered by a grant from the Attorney General's (AG) office, and the rest would come from the sale of items confiscated in drug arrests, which can only be used for narrowly-defined equipment purchases. Verrier said the cart meets the criteria set forth by the state AG and the Drug Enforcement Agency for use of those funds.

Verrier says that to get officers of the law, or other emergency responders to the scene quickly, there need to be vehicles that are cheap, economical, strong, quiet and small enough to navigate the narrow trail but large enough to carry at least two responders and at least some of their equipment.

The golf cart would seem to fit many of those requirements, although Morse said he doubts a conventional cart could navigate stairs on the trail. However, in time, those obstacles should be eliminated for the convenience of mobility-impaired users. In winter, he added, the trail would be closed.

Morse also said that Healthy Oxford Hills agency doesn't have funds that can be used for police equipment, nor has it been approached to secure funds.