Honolulu police officer Celine Aiu glides up to an elderly woman jaywalking across Fort Street Mall yards from an oncoming city bus. With a friendly smile and a firm voice, Aiu tells her to use the crosswalk.

Aiu's not in a car or riding a bicycle; she's aboard a high-tech electrical Segway. On one recent patrol, she gave more reminders than tickets but does both in a day's work.

"We take care of business. We're pretty quick on these," she said with a turn of the handlebars on the stand-up scooters. "They get us where we need to go."

Though Segways are available for rent in Waikiki and used for security at Ko Olina resort, they are still a rare sight in Hawai'i. But the Honolulu Police Department may change that.

The department paid $20,000 last year for four Segways and initial training for four officers assigned to the special patrol. They're showing up more often on the street now and creating a buzz when they do.

Assistant police chief Bryan Wauke said the Segway unit started in Wahiawa and spent two months on patrol in nearby neighborhoods, then shifted to the downtown area, where assignments have included the Martin Luther King Jr. parade.

Chief Boisse Correa saw the scooters on the Mainland and wanted to explore their use in people-friendly community policing. That's the buzz phrase for officers getting out and talking with people in their beat areas, not just responding to emergencies to make arrests.

Aiu said sometimes a warning works, sometime not. She recalls a man who watched the green light turn to red, took one look at her, then crossed against the "don't walk" warning. She gave him a ticket but had to ask what he was thinking. He replied that he wanted to see what she'd do.

Aiu said jaywalking may seem minor but can turn dangerous. "They'll jaywalk between the buses," she said, shaking her head.

The Segway "personal transporter" rides about 8 inches above the ground and stays upright with the help of five gyroscope sensors, according to Chip MacDonald, a company spokesman.

Officers trained on the nontraditional police cruisers say they can maneuver in ways that they can't when patrolling in cars, on bikes or on foot.

For example, the Segway can drive right onto grass and cut through a crowd easily, and the electric power allows it to sneak up quietly. But the Segway doesn't do stairs — or sand, Aiu said.

PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOL

They're also a great public relations tool, police say, helping officers talk to folks in the community on a friendly, nonthreatening vehicle that remains a novelty.

MacDonald said more than 200 police departments worldwide have bought Segways, with "tens of thousands" sold. He declined to be more specific about the number sold.

He said police like them for their responsiveness, maneuverability and unique visibility. "The officers actually become more approachable," MacDonald said. "Some of the police departments are taking them into their toughest neighborhoods."

Because the Segways go at about the speed of a man running, they can get the officers to an emergency quickly. "When they get there, they're refreshed rather than out of breath," he said.

The scooters can go indoors and out, and even drive right into an elevator. They use no gasoline, require no regular maintenance and spew no emissions, MacDonald said.

He said the Miami-Dade (Fla.) Police Department used Segways to provide security at yesterday's Super Bowl.

In June 2003, Gov. Linda Lingle signed into law a bill making them sidewalk-legal in Hawai'i.

Duke Hospodar, Ko Olina director of resort operations, said executive Jeff Stone saw the Segways at Disneyland in 2002 and a month later the company ordered five at $8,900 each.

The resort uses them mostly to patrol fairly large areas such as lagoon walkways, parking lots and the residential condo communities, but also finds they're handy for special events.

Hospodar said they're quick, quiet and safe. And they are low maintenance and environmentally friendly.

Their weaknesses? Some of the early models had a shorter range, don't work well in the rain and require some practice to ride, he said.

Hospodar adds: "Unless your battery dies a mile from an electrical socket, there is a very little fitness achievement." So security staff members alternate the Segways with bike patrols to stay in shape.

Hospodar said they have had three minor injuries.

Aiu acknowledged that all of the officers who have boarded the Segways have fallen off at some point but none has been injured.

Overall, Hospodar finds the Segway useful in covering more ground quickly, and the resort plans to upgrade to newer models soon.

Honolulu police Capt. Tom Grossi said police will keep sending the Segways to assignments in different communities. "It's an experiment, so we're just seeing where they work best," Grossi said.

SOME LIMITATIONS

The officers have found some limitations. When they were working in the lower Makiki area, the Segways used up their electrical charge quickly. "When they went up the hills, it just sucked the power out of them," he said.

Whether police officers on Segways are providing security for the mayor at a press conference at Ala Moana Beach Park or giving tickets to pedestrians and drivers who break the crosswalk laws, they get double takes.

"We do draw a lot of attention,"Aiu said.

Two visitors from Alaska exploring Chinatown stopped at the downtown police station last week. They got directions, then turned to the Segway officers to ask how the devices work and feel.

Grossi said police officials will decide whether to buy more of the Segways based on feedback from the community as well as help from those most familiar with the scooters, the officers who have been riding them.

Officer Anthony Ozoa, a year out of recruit school, is new to the Segway detail but enjoying it. He took to the maneuvering fine.

But Ozoa acknowledged wrestling with a small but crucial concern: "How do you look cool on a Segway?"

Shades help.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.