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SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Buellton company creates electric personal patrol vehicle By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Trikke Professional Mobility, headquartered in Buellton, has announced the new Positron 72Volt Elite. This is an electric all-wheel drive personal patrol vehicle that is designed to help police officers cover ground more efficiently without breaking a sweat. Trikke Professional Mobility was founded in 2000 by Gildo Beleski. “Mr. Beleski is the engineer and designer of the three wheel cambering mechanism, which he designed from a fitness standpoint in Brazil,” Cheyne Jetton of corporate sales for Trikke told the News-Press. “The tight switchback hills of

Brazil gave him the inspiration for the movable arms in the mechanism. Mr. Beleski applied for his first patent in 1999 and received his first patents in 2001 and 2002.” The original version was the body-powered version, which was featured on the cover of Time magazine. It began picking up traction in the early 2000s. “Today we primarily serve law enforcement security. We launched the 48 Volt defender in 2015 and the 72 Volt Elite in January of 2021. These vehicles can go 45 mph-plus,” said Mr. Jetton. “Additionally these vehicles are essentially an all-terrain vehicle which can navigate grassy areas, down stairs, up and down escalators, in elevators and more. “The vehicles are ADA-

compliant and can be used indoors as well,” Mr. Jetton said. “We are used in some of the largest police departments and university police departments across the U,S,, as well as private security. Trikke vehicles are also in use in Puerto Rico, Europe, South America and the UAE.” Trikke personal patrol vehicles provide a mounted solution to effectively patrol a large area, at less environmental impact and operational cost than driving an automobile, with an added capability for transporting cargo and supplies. “All models 2015 and after were specifically designed and marketed for law enforcement and military application,” Mr. Jetton said. “Prior to 2015, these vehicles were not specifically designed for this application,

but were sometimes used by law enforcement. You have to think of these vehicles as being used to increase patrol area. Now fewer officers can cover a larger area, decreasing response time. These vehicles are able to navigate crowded areas, where a car would not be able to.” The vehicles are designed to increase constricted-area access and empower officers to better connect with their community, while saving money and increasing operational efficiency over foot patrol. “These vehicles are much more comfortable for officers as opposed to sitting on a bike with a duty belt and full vest package,” Mr. Jetton said. “Additionally, they can tow trailers, and there is a firefighting version that has

been developed. The technology is heading in a direction where batteries get better and better ...” “The vehicles were designed to track straight,” he said. “The front wheel is a puller, and the rear wheels are pushers. It’s very stable.” “This is a new way people are accepting. Segway did us a huge favor by opening the door to this possibility,” Mr. Jetton said. “Our customers are requesting additions such as GPS tracking and bluetooth. Norfolk Police Department in Virginia has bought every version that we have come out with, they have over 20 vehicles that they use. They continue to come back and they want what is new. We are branching into industries that we have never anticipated.” Atlanta Police Chief Rodney

Bryant praised the new vehicle. “You can easily navigate through crowds to respond to an incident. Your imagination is the only limit to what these vehicles can do,” The News-Press asked Mr. Jetton which local or state law enforcement agencies have implemented the technology. “The biggest one is Bay Area Rapid Transit. They have 18 vehicles including the 72Volt Elite. We also have customers down in Los Angeles. Local law enforcement has been hesitant.” “There is really a future for this,” Mr. Jetton said. “People will figure out new applications for this. We will continue to produce new versions, and I think that there will be completely different versions in just a year’s time.” email: kzehnder@newspress.com

COURTESY PHOTOS

Atlanta Police Major Brian Schiffbauer, left, and Al Robinson, president of Central Atlanta Progress stand next to Positron 72Volt Elite vehicles, designed by Buellton-based Trikke Professional Mobility. The Positron 72Volt Elite vehicle, right, can go on any terrain and travel 45 mph-plus.

Police arrest man on suspicion of murder in child’s death

By NEIL HARTSTEIN

NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Santa Barbara police have arrested a Santa Barbara man on suspicion of murder in the death of a 3-year-old child. “Based upon the investigation into this heinous crime, the suspect was identified as Elvis Alberto Lopez … the boyfriend of the victim’s mother,” police Lt. Kasi

Corbett said. On Feb. 4 at 1:33 p.m., the Santa Barbara Police Department Combined Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call reporting a medical emergency. The initial report was that a 3-year-old girl had fallen out of bed injuring herself, police said. Santa Barbara City Fire and American Medical Response personnel were attending to the

child, performing CPR when the police arrived. The child was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased. Santa Barbara Police detectives with the assistance of the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Office investigated the death. Based on the evidence gathered, the case was categorized as a homicide. On Feb. 11, an arrest warrant

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was authored and signed by a judge for the arrest of Mr. Lopez, 24, on suspicion of murder. He was contacted later at his family’s residence by Santa Barbara Police Department detectives and taken into custody without incident. He was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on $3 million bail.

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email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail. com

Special soccer event

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About 60 children from four Santa Barbara elementary schools gathered Monday for a special soccer day. The teachers and staff at Monroe Elementary, Cleveland Elementary, Harding University Partnership School and Adelante Charter School hosted a lunchtime soccer event for students. The students from the four schools were sorted into teams to meet each other and build camaraderie. The idea was inspired by Monroe Principal Brian Naughton, who wanted to build community and sportsmanship through soccer. The schools want to plan more meetups and feature other sports.

Operations continue at Goleta Beach County Park By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

end and the pier will remain closed due to damage sustained during the January storms. While some repairs are under way and assessments of the pier are ongoing, it is anticipated to be several weeks before the east parking lot and pier can reopen safely. The park’s west end will remain closed due to ongoing emergency beach operations. Work in this area will continue next week, Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Santa Barbara County officials say park visitors should be

aware of large trucks entering and exiting the park and keep away from the operation area. The material in this area is unstable, and walking through the work site could lead to an injury. People traveling on the Obern Trail Path (Atascadero Creek Trail) are advised to stay on the trail for going through the park only. The county also advises them to use caution when traveling through the park due to operations near the park entrance. email: kzehnder@newspress.com

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Beach nourishment operations are expected to continue at Goleta Beach County Park until the end of March. There will be a temporary pause in truck hauling starting today, with hauling tentatively resuming by Monday. Truck hauling has been paused temporarily while sediment at the source locations is excavated, stockpiled and sorted to be inspected for beach compatibility. During the temporary pause in

work, the Goleta park’s west end will remain closed. The material in this area is unstable and walking through the work site could lead to an injury, according to a news release from the county. On Feb. 9, the Santa Barbara County Community Services Department/Parks Division partially reopened Goleta Beach County Park to the public. Parking, barbecue grills, beach access and restrooms will be open from sunrise to sunset in the area between the park entrance and pier. The parking lot at the far east

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