Safety related issues took the forefront Friday for the monthly Downtown Development Coffee Break.

It won’t be long before merchants in downtown Rome see a police patrol on the back of a Segway-like vehicle. Called a scooter by Maj. Denise Downer-McKinney during the monthly gathering of merchants, the vehicle will be on the street as soon as a formal policy and procedures for the unit are written into the Rome police policy manual.

Downer-McKinney said the police department is still several officers short of a full roster, but as soon as new recruits come on line, the merchants will see a return of some bike patrols as well as the new scooter, which can zoom along at a maximum speed of approximately 18 miles per hour. The scooter will also be used to help patrol the trails along the rivers downtown and out to State Mutual Stadium.

The Coffee Break was hosted at the Joint Law Enforcement Center on Friday morning.

Rome Police Capt. Paul Green told the merchants group that third shift officers make a regular practice of checking doors of downtown businesses overnight. He said that every once in a while the officers will come on a door that was not locked and that if it’s a simple matter of flipping a latch, the officers will do so and leave a “night eye” notice at the place of business.

Police also make a habit of concentrating in the downtown area early in the morning when joggers and walkers are getting out to start the day.

“A lot of time we’ll park downtown to do end-of-shift reports and provide high visibility,” Green said.

E-911 Assistant Director Phillip Wheeler told the business leaders a new computer system should be installed and operational by the end of November and that merchants ought to at least check with the center to make sure appropriate contact names and numbers are transferred properly.

The November Coffee Break will be at Mellow Mushroom, 238 Broad St., on Nov. 30.