2012-09-14 Police Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes September 14, 2012 Page 3 people didn't feel safe. The result is that they are putting people behind bars. Those arrested were all repeat offenders, drug users, meth addicts, and all had previous jail time. Chief Kubojiri called for the community meeting. Chair Ono said the meeting was an outstanding idea. It was relatively short noticed, but there were about 200 people in attendance. People wanted to get more information. The police already had an idea of who the suspects were and had pictures on an information board. There were constructive suggestions that the police needs get more information out into the community. There were complaints that people made calls to the police but no one called back; that was consistent. It was a positive meeting. The general feeling after the meeting was that it was a very good meeting. AC Kealoha stated that a burglary is a felony. It will likely result in jail time. Repeat offenders, and the fact that they have a criminal history, also would determine the sentencing. The value or amount of things taken or number of burglaries can enhance the sentence. They believe that these people are responsible for the bulk of the burglaries. Chair Ono stated that a concern is that if a person meets bail, that person could be out again. Vice Chair Ignacio said it is important that they clarify in the community the courts are responsible for the jail time, not the police. AC Kealoha stated that they are working on a Neighborhood Watch notification system. They send out daily emails to watch coordinators. The last two days they arrested six people which were a result of calls from the community. Major Apele stated that they are working internally on setting up standards and guidelines to ensure messages are getting to the officers and officers are responding on a timely manner. Traffic report by area, category, and trends AC Kealoha reported that in the month of August, 4,377 citations were issued -- 3,033 moving /regulatory, 243 seat belt, 54 child restraint, and 1,047 for speeding. Their efforts in Hilo with increased enforcement have resulted in reduced accidents due to inattention in intersections. Puna had a decrease in crashes that occur mostly on Route 11, 130, and Kahakai Boulevard. Officers continue with enforcement and being highly visible on the routes. In West Hawaii, no specific traffic trends were observed. They are looking at fatalities involving motorcycles. Major Apele stated that Hamakua had three traffic fatalities. One was when someone darted in front of bus and was hit by a truck. The other was a repeat offender driving a truck. The driver overtook a 15- passenger van at a high rate of speed during rainy conditions and clipped the side of the van. Alcohol and speed were factors. Two passengers in the van died. A high number of fatal crashes