KITV4 Update: Resolution urges HPD to create a new patrol district for the Waianae coast

Marisa Yamane, KITV4, 5 Apr. 2022

On Tuesday, the Hawaii Senate Ways and Means Committee unanimously passed the resolution, un-amended.

The next step — SR78/SCR88 will go before the full Senate, and if adopted, will cross over to the House for its consideration.

Original story on 4/4/22:

HONOLULU (KITV4) — Should the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) create a new patrol district specifically for the Waianae coast? A resolution is urging that to happen.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee is set to decide on Tuesday whether to move SR78/SCR88 forward.

Currently, the Waianae coast is part of what’s known as District 8, which also includes Ewa and Kapolei.

The resolution urges HPD to create a new police district to service the Waianae coast, from Nanakuli to Kaena Point, and to allocate more resources to increase the police presence in those areas.

“Now that we see this growth of the second city and the Leeward side it’s really overdue to create District 9 police station, and that’s what we’ve been begging for years and years now,” said Sen. Maile Shimabukuro, (D – Ko Olina, Waianae, Makaha.)

In previous testimony for this resolution, the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers said it strongly supports the creation of a new district, however, it’s concerned about how HPD will be able to fill the new district when the department can’t fill the districts, sectors and beats that already exist.

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“Now the doors have to be locked. Now you have to look 360 degrees around at your surroundings,” said Kalei Salcedo. “Our crime rates and the population has risen here, but the workforce of HPD officers has remained the same,” said Austin Salcedo.

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Adams

“There’s a lot of other programs that money goes to on our island and within our state. Some of that money needs to go to support these existing treasures we have and one of them is the safety of the Waianae coast, so fund it.  If nothing is going to be done expect the unexpected because the public, property owners, and businesses are going to start taking things into their own hands in Waianae,” said Richard Adams.