HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0012.012 2002-2004 rN~Y 66_f,
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October 15, 2003 ~ _ "
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MEMORAND UM
TO: ALL COUNCILMEMBERS
FROM: JAMES Y. ARAKAKI, COUNCIL CHAIR
RE: HELICOPTER LETTER FROM CHIEF MA A
Please read the memo that I have attached from Police Chief Lawrence Mahuna
regarding "Verifying Helicopter Flights". For those of you who have not gone on the
helicopter ride to see how the police conduct their mission, I would like to set up a
briefing session for you to experience first hand how a mission is conducted. Please let
me know if you want a helicopter training session.
Mahalo.
JYA/jkr
attachment
xc: Chief Mahuna
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Ref. Date
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Harry Kim aP.' Lawrence K. Mahuna
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Police Guej
- - Harry S. Kubojiri
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POLICE DEPARTMENT n w
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349 Kapiolani Street Kilo, Hawaii 96720-3998 ~ (7 -~--t
October 1, 2003 (808) 935-3311 Fax (808) 961-8869 C ~ r;- I
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TO AME KI, COUNCIL CHAIR, AND MEMBERS T'' ~ -
FROM ~
ENCE K. MAHUNA, POLICE CHIEF = -
SUBJECT: VERIFYING HELICOPTER FLIGHTS
I am pleased to learn that Lieutenant Norman Keamo of our Vice/Narcotics Section was
helpful in addressing your concerns at the Finance meeting on September 16, 2003. I
apologize for not being present at the earlier meeting due to a communication
breakdown and misunderstanding.
There seems to be concerns, as expressed by a few council members, surrounding the
issue of our integrity as it relates to the altitude we fly during marijuana reconnaissance
missions. Some council members have expressed receiving complaints that our
eradication helicopters were flying at tree top heights during our missions, in violation of
the altitude we've agreed to operate our reconnaissance missions at. I want to assure
you we maintain the 1,000 feet altitude and descend only to eradicate.
Please understand that when we locate a possible marijuana patch from our height limit
of 1,000 feet, we cannot descend in a straight line to conduct eradication. The height
limitation of 1,000 feet for observation adds to the time we spend searching for
marijuana but we are willing to abide by your guidelines to mitigate concerns of your
constituents. While descending to eradicate the marijuana, it is not always possible to
approach the patch from an angle void of residences. We apologize for this and its
purpose is one of safety and not to displease the residents whose homes are affected.
When given the opportunity, we inform those residents affected of the safety and
logistical issues inherent with eradication. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, as
complainant identification is not always made available to us.
We appreciate Mr. Jacobson's interest in mitigating this problem and look forward to
working with him to rectify and verify our altimeter readings. We are confident that our
current practices are in concert with the rules and procedures currently in place.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Lieutenant
Norman Keamo of our Vice Section at 961-2253.