LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Police Department had an exciting New Year’s night, but it wasn’t a staff party.
Some 40 officers working between 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 and 3 a.m. on Jan. 1, four times the standard number of “beats” being covered on a typical evening, responded to 214 reported incidents on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, arresting 21 suspects on 38 charges, according to a report. The information was detailed in “Operating New Year’s 2009,” which Chief Darryl Perry provided to the Police Commission at its first monthly meeting of 2009, Friday morning, at the Historic County Building.
The report shows the incident reports included family abuse, assault, domestic and verbal arguments, missing persons, traffic offenses and collisions, and gunshots fired.
There were also 23 reports of illegal fireworks, five of which resulted in warnings being issued and one of which earned a citation, according to the report. There were six arrests for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant among the 21 suspects, the report shows.
Perry said a large group of more than 100 people were at the Hanalei Pier, lighting bonfires on the beach, an illegal practice. Perry said KPD would be asking for assistance from the Liquor Commission as well as the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ enforcement officers for future New Year’s celebrations.
The busy night was roughly on par with past years. Hanalei District Commander Mike Contrades Contrades said in an e-mail that New Year’s 2007 featured 221 reported incidents and the arrests of 10 people on 18 charges, while New Year’s 2008 saw 175 reported incidents and the arrests of 12 people on 15 charges.
Later in the meeting, Assistant Chief Roy Asher introduced Gina Kaulukukui as the department’s new domestic violence coordinator, a position Perry said had been vacant since April.
Kaulukukui said she has 14 years of experience at Kaua‘i Hospice and started Life’s Bridges Hawai‘i, a nonprofit organization that reaches out to families after incidents involving sudden death. She spearheaded a recent forum on teen suicide in Anahola, where she discussed the organization’s Bridges Emergency Support Team.
In her new role, Kaulukukui will serve as a liaison between domestic violence victims and police officers, detectives and prosecuting attorneys in an effort to provide support to the victims and ensure that the officials get the information they need to bring charges against the accused.
Also at the Police Commission meeting, Christopher Calio and Scott Williamson were recognized as the Officers of the Month for December, while David Banquel was honored as the Officer of the Month for January.
According to Lt. Kaleo Perez, Calio, a seasoned officer, and Williamson, at the time participating in the 15-week field training program all new officers go through, were honored for investigating a case involving a break-in and a stolen credit card. Their work eventually led them to the Kilauea home of Florentino Salvador Jr.
Salvador, 50, offered a lengthy confession and was arrested in early November on suspicion of three counts of third-degree theft, two counts of second-degree forgery, three counts of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, as well as the fraudulent use of a credit card and third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug.
Banquel was honored for his role in a Dec. 2 arrest in which David Dotimas, 30, of Kalaheo, left the scene of an auto accident. The other driver involved in the accident followed Dotimas and informed KPD dispatch of the situation. Banquel was dispatched to the scene, where he arrested Dotimas on suspicion of failure to give information and aid, leaving the scene of an accident involving vehicle or property damage, and driving with a suspended license, according to KPD records.
Banquel also recovered drug paraphernalia and a semi-automatic handgun that had previously been reported stolen, Perez said.
