2012-07-20 Police Commission Minutes

Home

Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes July 20, 2012 Page 2 POLICE CHIEF'S REPORT ON DEPARTMENT ACTIVITIES Including, but not limited to: • Crime report by area, category, and trends: Assistant Chief Kealoha gave the crime report. In June there were 8,014 serious crimes, of which 2,092 were investigated by the Area I and Area II Criminal Investigation Units. Hilo had an increase in residential burglaries particularly in the Waiakea Houselots area. The Crime Reduction Unit is looking into the area. They have recovered some stolen property. Puna also had an increase in burglaries. The Puna burglary detail is conducting pawn shop checks. North Kohala had two burglaries at Kohala High School. In response to questions about the burglaries in Hilo, AC Kealoha stated that they have identified suspects but need enough probable cause to bring them in. In response to questions about the fires in the Pahala area, Assistant Chief Kealoha stated that the Fire Department has authority to investigate, but they referred the case to them. The Fire Department has some resources such as an accelerant dog. They received a rash of suspicious fires three or four years ago in the area of the cane haul road mauka of Naalehu. Fires are recurring there again. They have a person of interest who was recently released from prison. • Traffic report by area, category, and trends: Assistant Chief Kealoha reported that in June, 4,240 citations were issued. 2,787 citations were for moving /regulatory, 349 for seatbelt, 38 for child restraint, and 1,066 for speeding. Hilo's increase in traffic accidents is attributed to inattention to driving. Enforcement of the main traffic thorough fares will continue. In Puna, they saw a decrease in traffic accidents. In Ka'u they had two major traffic accidents in the area of the 66 mile post in the Wai'ohinu area. Both occurred when the roadway was wet. This area also has sharp turns. State Highways is aware of the wet roadway hazard. Last week in Kona, in a 48 -hour period, they had a total of four accidents with five fatalities. On Thursday, a truck had a blown tire and struck two vehicles, killing the driver in the second vehicle. Shortly thereafter, there was a second accident on Route 190 involving a motorcyclist. The third accident occurred on Friday evening in Captain Cook when a motorcyclist driving at a high rate of speed attempted to pass a truck as the truck attempted to make a left turn. The motorcyclist and the driver of the truck were killed. They are looking at motorcycle aggressive driving and what can be attributed to the aggressive driving. They are not equipped for motorcycle enforcement. From his personal experience, a motorcycle will always outrun them. Chair Ono stated that motorcyclists think they can easily pass a car and weave in, and that the rules of solid lines do not apply to them. He sees this often. The third fatality in Captain Cook looked like that. All along that roadway is a solid line. The bikes are super fast. Acceleration is unbelievable. It's tempting to zip through, and that's what they do, especially in South Kona where there are limited areas for passing. It's a real problem.