With its square body and blinking top, it sits in the middle of the highway looking like a homemade R2D2 as it directs the driving public to stop.

Or maybe we can call it Frankencop, assembled by a group of would-be mad scientists in police uniforms.

Coupeville’s refashioned radar trailer not only tells motorists how fast they are going, it now tells them to stop during power outages.

In creating the prototype of what could be the traffic cop of the future (Robocop?), Coupeville police officers took the trailer and placed an old, four-way stoplight on top of it and a generator inside. They are using it to flash a bright warning light at the town’s most dangerous intersection when the real traffic light is disabled during power outages.

One nasty consequence to the frequent power outages this winter is that motorists often don’t see the intersection at Highway 20 and Main Street until they drive through it.

The new light has been crucial in reminding people to stop at the darkened intersection.

“Since we started doing it, we haven’t had any problems with people who ran the intersection,” said Town Marshal Lenny Marlborough.

When the power goes out the darkness at night and in the morning makes it difficult for highway motorists to see the intersection as they come into Coupeville. When power is out at a lighted intersection, state law requires motorists to treat it as a four-way stop.

The darkened intersection was a factor in a November car accident that left two children with serious injuries. They had to be transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

During a more recent outage, officers pulled over dozens of motorists when they drove through the intersection. Marlborough said officers didn’t write tickets for the situation, rather they wanted to inform people about the requirement to stop when the stoplight is not functioning.

“People just weren’t seeing the intersection,” Marlborough said.

With the severe storm that blew through Whidbey Island last Tuesday, officers took the town’s radar trailer and mounted a four-way stop light at the top of it and placed a generator inside it. They then wheeled it out to the middle of the intersection, which helped remind motorists to stop.

The use of the temporary four-way stoplight did raise some concern with state transportation officials. They didn’t know about the temporary sign that was rolled out into the middle of the intersection, said Dustin Terpening, spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Even though he understands the town’s desire to improve the visibility of the intersection during power outages, he said there are some safety and liability issues that can arise with a trailer in the middle of an intersection, especially if a motorist hits it or the device’s four-way light malfunctions.

DOT officials will contact town officials to see if they can work together and improve the safety at that intersection.

Terpening didn’t know if DOT will ask the town not to use its temporary light during future power outages.

There is talk of installing battery backups in the permanent lights at the intersection. However, Marlborough said that is expensive and could cost $1,000 per every hour of battery backup.

If the Department of Transportation installed such backups, they would have to do it on a large scale to ensure all lighted intersections in the region were included, Terpening said.

Why not just have police officer direct traffic at intersections with darkened stoplights?

Marlborough said it’s too dangerous to place an officer in the middle of such a busy intersection. It would only be a matter of time before he or she would get hit by a car.

He added that officers are also busy responding to calls, not only ones that come up during storms, but ones that normally come up through the day.

People have to use good judgement when they approach intersections when the lights are out, Marlborough said. Always make sure you stop, which should be easier now that Frankencop is on duty.