A nationwide recall of the two-wheeled, powered scooters was announced Friday. The same day, Juneau Assistant Police Chief Greg Browning was returning from a St. Louis conference, where he presented findings of their successful trial late this summer in Alaska's capital.

"The feedback was mostly positive," he said. "We've asked if we could keep them through November."

The Anchorage-based Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-Northwest supplied police with the Segways for a trial. It also provided training for 10 officers.

Friday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of all 6,000 scooters that had been sold, saying three people had been hurt when the batteries ran low. One suffered a head wound that required stitches.

The manufacturer, which notified the federal agency of the problem, has offered to install for free new software that will warn when battery power is running down and automatically shut down the machines. Newer scooters will come equipped with the software, The Associated Press reported.

Browning said Juneau police have kept the batteries on their Segways charged, and he was unaware of the sort of problem addressed in the recall.

Officers wear helmets while operating the Segways, just as they do when they ride a bicycle, Browning pointed out. The machines have a top speed of about 12 mph.

In his report, Browning discussed the department's use of the Segway downtown, near the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, at Auke Bay and at an Aug. 15 high school football game.

Officers Chris Burke and Paul Comolli reported no problem with the steepness of Juneau streets. The report said the Segway had no problem with a part of Franklin Street that has a 40 percent slope.

The Juneau Empire