LIHU‘E — Randy Francisco, the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, held a first-of-its-kind press conference yesterday, uniting business leaders with county officials to show that Kaua‘i is a safe place in light of the recent crimes that have
LIHU‘E — Randy Francisco, the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, held a first-of-its-kind press conference yesterday, uniting business leaders with county officials to show that Kaua‘i is a safe place in light of the recent crimes that have depicted Kaua‘i negatively.
Francisco said that he was “shocked and embarrassed” for the community, as the attempted murder of a Japanese visitor in Kalalau, the theft of computers and related equipment from Kapa‘a Elementary School, graffiti on the Bryan J. Baptiste Memorial Bridge, and the theft of an all-terrain vehicle from Kealia water safety personnel (see related story, A5), among others, have raised awareness of Kaua‘i for all the wrong reasons.
“As a community, we will not be apathetic, passive, forget, and, most of all, allow these crimes and the harm which each of these have caused to remain unresolved,” said Francisco, who is also a member of the Kaua‘i Police Commission.
“Enough is enough,” he added. “It is time for us as a community to come together.”
The leaders — who included public officials and members of the business community — also wanted to assure residents and visitors alike that Kaua‘i is a safe place.
“Kaua‘i is one of the safest places in all of the United States, and in all of the world,” said Darryl Perry, Chief of the Kauai Police Department. “I really believe that strongly.”
But they also asked that the people on Kaua‘i do their part to help.
“We don’t people to be paranoid, but we want them to look around and see what it is that makes them a target for crime,” said Lisa Murphy-Allison, member of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce and the mayor’s crime policy task force.
One solution is for residents and businesses to talk about crime. She said that it could help police find the patterns with what is happening next door or down the street.
Perry said that community involvement is the most important factor in fighting crime. The proactive components involves education and prevention in the schools, neighborhood watch programs, community outreach, and road safety.
And it’s the community that suffers when crimes like this occur, said County Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar.
“When someone steals computers from a school, they are stealing from their own child, and their children’s opportunity to get an education,” said Kollar. “When they steal an ATV that belongs to the Fire Department, they are putting real lives in danger.”
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said he is standing side-by-side with leaders in this call to action. The business community has stepped up and he said a unified effort for the right reasons would keep people safe.
“We are united and look forward to working with the community,” Carvalho said.
Sue Kanoho, Executive Director, Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau, said the recent attempted murder of a Japanese visitor brought the attention of the world on Kaua‘i. As she worked to reassure concerned callers about the island, she said her role is also to provide safety information in partnership with police and water safety.
“We stand ready to help where we can and we look for improvement and suggestions where we can,” Kanoho said.
Jonathan Chun, the incoming chair of the Chamber, said it is upsetting to see this type of crime happening now and that it is important to be part of the solution. He praised the Neighborhood Watch Program, KPAL, Citizens Police Academy, and the Crime Stoppers Program as prevention.
“Just don’t sit back and do nothing,” Chun said. “You can’t solve all the problems, but you can be a key to the solution, and we can’t do that by just complaining all of the time.”
Raymond Blouin, General Manager of the Aston-Kaua‘i Hotel, said the call to action is as simple as reporting something suspicious, even if seems insignificant at the time. Sending this information to the police might help them to take action.
Chief Perry said later that when he was a police officer on O‘ahu, they were hunting a serial rapist who had ultimately killed a victim. After canvassing the neighborhood of the crime scene, he said a neighbor had heard screaming but dismissed it as an argument.
Anyone with information regarding a crime is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 241-1887 or Police Dispatch at 241-1711.
• Tom LaVenture, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or tlaventure@thegardenisland.com.
