Moving to the 'burbs to escape crime? Cops say it harder to patrol out there

The Arizona Republic today had an article about police returning to walk the beat in certain neighborhoods, and in some cases, using Segways. Segways are silent, allowing officers to come stealthly upon criminals in the act, and also let an officer cover more ground in less time than on foot. They also don't use costly gasoline like patrol cars do. However, it's harder to put cops on the beat in sprawling communities, and the need for an additional precinct further north was one of the reasons Phoenix went to city voters for an additional 0.2% sales tax last year. Perhaps there are some safety advantages to living in the city?