In a bipartisan 5-4 vote, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners denied Sheriff BJ Barnes’ request to purchase seven Segways with federal forfeiture funds. Democrats Bruce Davis and Carolyn Coleman joined Republicans Alan Branson, Hank Henning and Bill Bencini in voting against the request.

Barnes reasoned that the purchase of the Segways wouldn’t cost the county anything and went a step further by accusing commissioners of wanting to use the forfeiture funds to help ease the county’s $41 million budget deficit.

But Barnes offered up another reason: Segways would keep school resource officers from being winded in case they half to run “half-mile or so” to confront a dangerous situation.

Not too sure about that one —doesn’t make me feel any better to think of a law enforcement officer confronting a dangerous situation on a Segway. I would prefer the adrenaline to be pumping following a good run.