Vicksburg police are scooting into the New Year with many of the new gadgets the department bought in the old year.

The speediest in the inventory are the two segways used by patrolmen to roll into areas where patrol cars cannot fit and officers’ feet cannot carry them fast enough.

The most technologically advanced are the forensic phone extraction units and video enhancers.

And still on the wish list are tasers.

Police Chief Walter Armstrong said Wednesday the tasers, which deliver an electrical shock to subdue suspects, have not been ordered.

“We are talking to several vendors,” Armstrong said. “We’re going to probably make the orders sometime during the month of January, not later than February.”

Ordering was scheduled in October — along with the segway vehicles, forensic phone extraction units and video enhancers — but it was delayed for more comparison shopping.

“Our long-range goal is to have a taser in every officer’s hand,” Armstrong said. Each officer will be required to undergo training that includes being “shot” with one before being allowed to carry the devices.

The department had expected to spend about $14,500 on the tasers, but a more expensive model, which will include a mounted video camera on each unit, is being considered.

“The ones with the camera on them capture everything that takes place,” said Armstrong. “We want to be able to capture as much as possible as it relates to the usage of it.”

Personnel additions have been part of the change. Two new resource officers are focusing on setting up Neighborhood Watch areas.

As for the other changes, in personnel and equipment, Armstrong, a retired Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol officer who has been chief since July, said he is seeking better relations between police and residents. That is where the two community resource officers and Neighborhood Watch come in.

One of the officers is Danitta Reed.

“I don’t know how much I could stress this to the civilians here that the Neighborhood Watch would really benefit their community,” she said. “We’re the police, but we don’t see everything. When we come on site, we ask them what they’ve seen.”

Reed and her colleague, Darnisha Cash, are not allowed to carry the tasers, although they do tote pepper spray, because their responsibilities do not include making arrests. Rather, they focus on misdemeanor crimes and getting to know residents and businesses.

She said many businesses have requested information on starting business watches in 2010.

“They say they appreciate us doing it because our presence alone has enhanced their environment,” said Reed.

Since taking their positions two months ago, the  resource officers have cleared loiterers from outside businesses downtown, the Outlets at Vicksburg and Pemberton Square mall.

Additionally, they, other officers and the two new segways were used heavily during the Christmas shopping season at all shopping venues.

“Police officers who would normally be assigned to investigations, we had them out at malls and shopping centers,” Armstrong said.

Investigator Troy Kimble said he likes the new upright scooters because of their speed and agility.

“(Criminals) have to figure out how to get away from them,” he said. “They’re new so (criminals) don’t know their capabilities. You would have to be in a full sprint at 12 miles an hour.”

Since mid-November, the department has used forensic phone extraction units to recover information such as photos, calls, text messages, contacts and call histories during investigations as well as video enhancing equipment to improve images from security footage and produce still photos.

Funding for all the new equipment was approved in October by the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen, who OK’d using $30,182 from a Justice Assistance Grant and completing the balance of  $57,462 with city funds.

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Contact Tish Butts at tbutts@vicksburgpost.com