Question: On the morning of Sept. 24, I witnessed a marked police car running two red lights with its emergency lights on. Normally this wouldn’t draw my attention, but I noticed that the officer was turning on his lights only to run the lights. After clearing the intersection, he would turn them off and continue at the speed limit. It seemed to me that he simply did not have the patience to wait at the light like other citizens. Isn’t this an abuse of police property? Who would I report this to?
Answer: What you observed wasn’t necessarily an officer taking advantage of his position, according to the Honolulu Police Department.
“Depending on the situation, it may be appropriate for the officer to proceed through an intersection with light and siren on but continue at the speed limit to avoid putting motorists and pedestrians at risk while getting to the scene” of a call, said HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu.
That’s something HPD’s Professional Standards Office can determine.
If you feel it warranted it, you could have called 911 at the time you observed the police vehicle and asked to meet with a field supervisor, Yu said. Or, you can contact the Professional Standards Office, formerly known as the Internal Affairs Division, by calling 723-3775 or writing the Honolulu Police Department, Attention: Professional Standards Office, 801 S. Beretania St., Honolulu HI 96813.
Complaint forms can be downloaded at www.honolulupd.org/hpd/pso.htm.
An investigator will contact complainants to follow up, Yu said. If someone wants to file a formal written complaint, that complaint must be notarized.
Yu said that the public can find out whether a complaint was “sustained, but not what disciplinary action was taken.”
According to its website, the Professional Standards Office “is charged with ensuring the integrity of the Honolulu Police Department by conducting fair and impartial investigations into allegations of police misconduct.”
Question: While driving at night recently, I was behind a car with two large white lights that looked like headlights and two small red lights. At first it looked like the car was going in the wrong direction! Is this allowed? I thought only backup lights were white.
Answer: It is against the law to have white tail lights visible when the car is moving forward.
The only white lights manufacturers install on the rear of a new car are the reverse lights and the license plate light, according to a state motor vehicle safety official.
Section 15-19.14 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu says, “Any motor vehicle may be equipped with a back-up lamp either separately or in combination with another lamp; but such back-up lamp shall not be lighted when the motor vehicle is in forward motion.”
Meanwhile, Section 291-31 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes says that from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise, a vehicle on a public highway is required to have red tail lights visible not less than 200 feet from the rear — two red lights for cars manufactured after 1968, one for those made prior to 1968.
That law also says there should be a white light shining on the rear registration number plate visible not less than 50 feet from the rear.
Mahalo
To the two good Samaritans who came to my aid the night of Friday, Sept. 14, when a hit-and-run driver sideswiped me on Moanalua Freeway. Although I may have looked like I was calm, I was quite frantic. I asked for the female good Samaritan’s name twice, but I still can’t remember it. I thank her for calling the police. And, I thank the gentleman wearing dress whites, whose name tag read “Little John,” for being willing to change my flat tire. Both stayed with me until the police arrived. I truly hope the person who hit me will someday get caught. — Joyce Kaneshiro
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