A repurposed trailer transformed into a rolling video game lounge is becoming one of the newest tools Hopewell Township police are using to connect with local kids and families.
The Hopewell Township Police Department’s new gaming trailer — built over the winter by Patrol Officer James Klesney — has officially begun making appearances at community events this spring, including LEAD graduation celebrations for fourth graders at Bear Tavern Elementary School.
The trailer is also expected to be one of the attractions at this weekend’s Pennington Day celebration.
Inside, the mobile setup includes multiple gaming stations designed for children, teens and adults alike. But police officials say the project is about far more than video games.
“We want to connect with the youth, and this is a way to meet them where they’re at,” Police Chief James Rosso said. “Most of the kids these days are playing video games. So this is an opportunity for us to interact with them on their level, not so much our level.”
Rosso credited Klesney for spearheading the initiative largely from the ground up.
“It was all his idea and all his hard work that went into putting this together,” Rosso said.
Built for community engagement
The project reflects the department’s broader effort to strengthen relationships with local families and students through community engagement programs and school partnerships.
Klesney serves as one of the department’s LEAD instructors. The officers teach the LEAD anti-drug and leadership curriculum at Bear Tavern, Stony Brook and Hopewell elementary schools, while Pennington Borough officers teach at Toll Gate Grammar School.
The gaming trailer recently appeared during LEAD graduation activities for Bear Tavern fourth graders, giving students a chance to celebrate inside the custom-built setup.
Rosso said the trailer has already appeared at opening day baseball festivities and the Hopewell Valley Culture Festival, with additional community appearances planned throughout the year.
“Any other events that are within the community that we think benefits the kids and youth that want to come out and interact with us, it’ll be there,” Rosso said.
Built by officers — and the community
The gaming trailer itself is also a story of community effort and creativity.
The trailer began as an older Hopewell Township-owned trailer that was no longer being used. Klesney pitched the idea of transforming it into a mobile gaming and community engagement space, and the project quickly grew through donated time, materials and equipment from within the department and the broader community.
Over the winter, Klesney worked on repainting and rebuilding the trailer, transforming the once-unused vehicle into a rolling arcade and gathering space. Other officers donated older gaming systems, video games and equipment to help outfit the trailer.
“There were officers bringing in old Xboxes, games, controllers — everybody kind of pitched in,” Klesney said.
The trailer can be adapted depending on the event, with both retro and modern games available for younger children, teenagers and adults. Several gaming stations are set up inside the trailer, while additional screens can also be mounted outside under an awning for larger events.
Klesney also designed the setup to encourage interaction beyond video games. A removable basketball hoop can be attached outside the trailer, and officers regularly set up cornhole and other yard games nearby.
During the recent LEAD celebration at Bear Tavern Elementary School, students rotated between gaming stations inside the trailer and outdoor activities set up nearby, turning the event into something closer to a neighborhood block party than a traditional police program.
Beyond emergencies and enforcement
Rosso said projects like the gaming trailer are part of an ongoing effort to help young people see police officers outside of emergency situations and enforcement interactions.
“These are our younger adults that we’re going to see as they get older and interact with in the community,” Rosso said. “It’s important for them to understand who we are, which is people just like they are.”
He said the department wants children to feel comfortable approaching officers for help or conversation as they grow older.
“We enjoy video games. We can enjoy coming out and playing sports with them,” Rosso said. “It’s important for them to see us in that light.”
The initiative also reflects a wider shift toward increased community engagement within the department in recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think we’ve gone a little farther than we have been in the past and continue to do that,” Rosso said. “At least while I’m here, that’s my plan — to continue engaging with the community.”
