Q: I know from reading the news there have been a lot burglaries on Kaua‘i and some of the thefts were safes taken from places like KCC and the Food Bank. What are your police officers and detectives doing about
Q: I know from reading the news there have been a lot burglaries on Kaua‘i and some of the thefts were safes taken from places like KCC and the Food Bank. What are your police officers and detectives doing about it? Is it a trend of things to come especially if the Superferry is allowed to sail?
• Sandy, Lihu‘e
A: There is a connection between some of the burglaries on Kaua‘i because their method of operation (MO) appears to be consistent. This does not appear to be a disjointed opportunist type of operation, but instead a well-organized group of individuals. Somehow they have acquired knowledge of the safes’ locations and were able to defeat alarm systems. This type of sophistication is not common on Kaua‘i.
Lieutenants Jon Takamura and Daniel Fort of our Investigative Services Bureau are overseeing the investigations and have assigned detectives to use all available resources to identify the suspects.
For those who have been victims, please accept my sincere apology as we are working hard to bring these individuals to justice. In the interim, I would like to ask businesses, if at all possible, not to leave large amount cash in your safes but instead deposit it into the bank. And during after hours you should use the bank’s depositories, with a caveat that you be accompanied by at least one other person when making the deposit.
With respect to the Superferry, I cannot speculate if things will improve or get worse. But what I do know is as the economy continues to sputter, things are likely to get worse. A recent survey by the Police Executive Research Forum of 233 police agencies revealed increases in robberies, burglaries and thefts. In some jurisdictions, domestic violence and assault cases are creeping upward.
Q: Yesterday, a black low-rider type car was racing down Kawaihau Road by Kapa‘a High School like a bat out of hell. Can you please send someone to give him a speeding ticket?
• Elsie, Kapahi
A: We have been conducting speeding enforcement on Kawaihau Road almost on a daily basis. But I can understand your frustration. I will inform our Patrol and Traffic Safety Unit commanders about your concerns. Please be assured that we are aware of the speeders and we will continue to cite violators.
Q: How will the economy impact KPD?
• Curious, Kalaheo
A: That’s a loaded question. Right now we are in the budget process for 2009-2010 and like all other departments we will have to tighten our belt.
As it is, 85 to 90 percent of our budget is in salaries negotiated through collective bargaining agreements. So we can’t make cuts from there. We can’t cut positions because of officer safety concerns and overtime costs. As counter intuitive as it seems, we actually have to fill our vacancies to save on overtime expenditures.
We are looking in other areas such as reducing travel, delaying large equipment purchases, cutting training and trimming operations down to bare bones without sacrificing services to the community.
There is a lot to consider, but we’re not the only ones suffering. With respect to the impact on crime, there is no doubt in my mind that there will be increases as reflected by trends in other jurisdictions.
