Bill Text: HI SR85 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging The Honolulu Police Department To Open A Police Station On Oahu's North Shore.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-03-29 - Report and Resolution Adopted. [SR85 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-SR85-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	85
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

uRGING THE HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT TO OPEN A POLICE STATion ON oAHU'S NORTH SHORE.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, Oahu's North Shore is one of the State's most scenic areas and features world-famous beaches, majestic ocean waves, unique restaurants and retail businesses, and a quiet and respectful community; and

 

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau estimates that more than half of Oahu's 6,500,000 visitors make the trek to the North Shore at some time during their stay on Oahu; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is important to maintain the safety of North Shore residents, business owners, workers, and patrons as well as to protect their property and possessions and preserve the community-based lifestyle of Oahu's North Shore; and

 

     WHEREAS, residents have reported that crimes such as arson, vandalism, theft, and burglary have sharply increased in the community, making residents feel unsafe and dissuading visitors from visiting the North Shore; and

 

WHEREAS, on December 7, 2017, tourists found the body of an elementary school teacher who had been cleaning a rental home on Ke Iki Road near Sunset Beach with her eight-year-old daughter and five days later, a man and a woman were charged with murder, two counts of kidnapping, and burglary in connection with the teacher's death; and

 

WHEREAS, according to the latest Honolulu Police Department (HPD) annual reports from 2015 and 2016, there was an increase in the total index crime rate that consists of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and auto theft reports in Wahiawa's District 2, which includes the North Shore; and

     WHEREAS, the total index crime rate reported for District 2 increased from 2,023 to 2,055 crimes per 100,000 residents in 2015 and 2016, respectively, according to data extrapolated by the Attorney General's Research and Statistics Division; and

 

     WHEREAS, in District 2 from 2015 to 2016, reports of burglary increased from 320 to 359 and auto theft reports increased from 284 to 324; and

 

WHEREAS, North Shore residents have reported an increase in motor vehicle-related crimes, particularly motor vehicle break-ins, over the past two years; and

 

     WHEREAS, over the span of one weekend in early March 2016, residents reported a series of potentially connected crimes including four motor vehicle break-ins and three motor vehicle fires; and

 

WHEREAS, according to an HPD report encompassing January 2018, there were 304 reported crimes, including 65 reports of theft, 96 reports of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, and 23 reports of burglary in District 2; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to HPD, there were 33 reported incidents relating to burglary, motor vehicle theft, theft, and unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle from January 29, 2018, through February 11, 2018, in Sector 3 of District 2, identified as the areas of Waialua and the North Shore; and

 

     WHEREAS, while the number of reported incidents within a short period of time is already a concern, total incidence of crime on the North Shore may be even higher as many crimes may not be reported to HPD; and

 

     WHEREAS, in addition to the alarming rate of criminal activity, North Shore has also noticed an increase of homeless individuals in the area; and

     WHEREAS, according to the Hawaii Statewide Point-In-Time Count, the number of unsheltered persons experiencing homelessness in the region from Wahiawa to North Shore increased by 74.2 percent from 2016 to 2017; and

 

     WHEREAS, members of the North Shore community and area business owners are calling for more police presence in the area, due to concerns about the recent increase in incidence and severity of criminal activity and homelessness; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the Honolulu Police Department is strongly urged to open a police station on the North Shore of Oahu; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chief of the Honolulu Police Department.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

North Shore on Oahu; Police Station