Do you "like" the Honolulu Police Department … on Facebook?
If you’re among the department’s 3,700-strong Facebook followers, you are getting daily updates on law enforcement activities big and small.
"I try to show things that happen that don’t normally rise to the level of being in the news or in the paper," says Capt. Andrew Lum, who manages HPD’s social media presence.
But it’s not every day that a post ends up becoming the most-read news story on staradvertiser.com during the workweek.
Lum posted Tuesday that officers issued 514 traffic citations within a five-hour window that morning on the Leeward Coast. It was eye-catching news and great evidence of police productivity.
From 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., officers gave out 81 speeding tickets, 60 no-fault insurance citations, 46 tickets for driving without a license, 21 tickets to people not wearing seat belts, 12 to people who neglected to use child restraints, nine to people for holding their mobile devices, and the rest for other violations.
I’m guessing at least 514 people were not exactly liking the Police Department that day. But the Facebook update received a lot of positive reinforcement, from compliments like "Amazing job HPD," to suggestions on where officers should be sent next, and when.
Some accused HPD of targeting the Leeward Coast, but Lum and other officials say that’s not the case.
"There’s been a lot of enforcement going on in a lot of different areas, saturation patrols," Lum says. "Windward side, central Honolulu, East Honolulu …we try to be as flexible as possible when we do these. We don’t want to be predictable."
Recently I gave at talk to journalism students at McKinley High School.
Outside, three officers laid a speed trap on Piikoi Street. I spent about 10 minutes talking story with the officers, and they pulled over about five cars within that window.
Some drivers were gunning up Piikoi in the middle of the day. Others were chatting on cellphones.
A common complaint about our police department is that it’s not enforcing the laws. The officers can’t catch every infraction, but they sure are trying.
"The police, all we can do is be out there to educate, enforce and deter," Lum says. "But it comes down to compliance by the public."
It’s notable that HPD’s Facebook page is constantly updated. The page administrators also make it a habit to talk to residents, answering questions.
Officers enforcing, educating and engaging the public? Plenty to like about that.
———
Reach Gene Park at gpark@staradvertiser.com or Twitter as@GenePark.
