More than 9,000 register as security guards in isles

Question: Can you update the public on the results of the recertifying of store security guards? How many retained their jobs, how many were let go? And the names of their companies? Were there any felons hired?

Answer: In July the state began requiring security guards and other security personnel to register with the state Board of Private Detectives and Guards and to meet instruction and training requirements.

About 10,000 people were affected by the new requirements.

Today more than 9,000 security guards are registered, said Brent Suyama, spokes­man for the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

Renewal of registration is required in even-numbered years, including this year. The deadline is June 30.

While every guard has to be registered, only agencies — and not the many other places that employ guards — are required, semiannually, to report who they hire and fire to the Board of Private Detectives and Guards, Suyama said.

Because of that, "a true sense of any hirings and firings" would be difficult to determine, he said.

In terms of felons that may have been hired as guards, no statistics are kept, he said. Under Chapter 831 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, however, convicted felons don’t lose their right to work as security guards.

Section 831-3 says: "Except as otherwise provided by law, a person convicted of a crime … retains all of the person’s rights, political, personal, civil, and otherwise, including the right to hold public office or employment, to vote, to hold, receive, and transfer property, to enter into contracts, to sue and be sued, and to hold offices of private trust in accordance with law."

Under that section’s "Case Notes," it adds, "Felon can be employed as a state correction officer and can carry a gun."

Among the factors to be considered in hiring someone convicted of a felony are the number of years since the crime was convicted, what has happened since then and "whether the applicant has provided verification that they have sufficiently been rehabilitated," Suyama said.

SAFE DRUG DISPOSAL

You can turn in unused or expired prescription drugs for free and anonymous disposal at the next National Take-Back Initiative on April 26.

On Oahu the drugs can be dropped off 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the state Capitol, Beretania Street drive-thru; inside Kahala Mall; in front of the Marine Corps Exchange; in the parking lot of the Pearl City Police Station; in the main lobby of the Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange; inside the Schofield Barracks Post Exchange; at the north end of the Town Center of Mili­lani; and inside Windward Mall.

More details will be given in mid-April by the state Department of the Attorney General, a partner in the event.

For more information, go to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s website, dea.gov, or call 541-1930.

MAHALO

To Bruno Lezzi, owner of Mix Cafe on Ala­kea Street. I was having lunch at one of the cafe’s outdoor tables when a stranger approached me and my companion, asking for money. We declined. He left, but returned within a few minutes with a scalding cup of hot water and threw it on me, resulting in painful burns on my face, neck and chest. Bruno and his staff quickly came to my rescue. He made me an ice pack and sprayed burn lotion on the affected areas, greatly helping to relieve the pain. Finally, he brought us a piece of one of his fabulous cheesecakes and a brownie to help us deal with the trauma. I truly appreciate the kindness and generosity of Bruno and his staff. They are a true credit to our special downtown merchants. I hope our legislators can find better ways to deal with the many unstable people whom we often encounter in our neighborhoods and parks. — Grateful Customer

Police were following up on leads on the assailant.

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.