By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
The Honolulu Police Department says its "kau kau trailer"
will help create good feelings about police, as well as be useful
in emergencies. Officer Lugene Simeona, above, cooked
hot dogs during a test run yesterday.

Police unveil
‘kau kau’ car for
cookouts

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

Honolulu's newest crime-prevention tool may be destined to be the most popular police vehicle in town.

It's a 60-foot-long blue trailer that can be hitched to a patrol car and is equipped with two propane barbecue grills, a collapsible serving counter and built-in coolers.

The "community kau kau trailer" was built by a civilian volunteer for Kalihi police, who will be taking it out over the next three days to cook treats for children from four public housing projects in the area.

"Nothing attracts people like food and drink," police Maj. Stephen Watarai said yesterday after the trailer was delivered to the Kalihi station.

"We feel this is an essential tool to enhance our community policing program. It's not just a nicety."

Police are hosting trailer parties from noon to 3 p.m. at Mayor Wright Homes tomorrow and at Kuhio Park Terrace and Kuhio Homes on Monday.

The trailer also will be at Kalihi Valley Homes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Kalihi businesses are donating the food products, and Watarai estimates officers will serve up over 2,500 hot dogs.

"We also plan to photograph each child with Santa and an officer and give the Polaroid shot to the child," Watarai said. "We hope they'll think of police in a nice way whenever they look at the photo."

The "kau kau trailer" is a larger and more sophisticated version of one Watarai saw in South Carolina last year while attending a seminar.

Watarai, Capt. Kevin Shigemitsu, Lt. Russell Miyada and officer John Kauwenaole worked on the design. A welder, who requested anonymity, constructed the trailer for free with $2,000 worth of materials purchased with Kalihi community policing funds.

A tent, measuring 10 feet by 10 feet, can be set up on the serving side of the trailer. There are also attachments for a 10-by-20-foot tent that would cover the cooking and serving area on rainy days.

Watarai sees a lot of potential uses for the trailer.

"It can be used by a beat officer for neighborhood projects as well as Police Activities League athletic teams," he said. "For police purposes, we can use it in the field when a natural disaster knocks out power.

Watarai said the trailer, if police had it then, also could have been used to cook for officers during a 22-hour hostage standoff at Pacific Palisades in October.