Waikiki’s Fort DeRussy Beach Park now has nightly closure hours.

The city advisory Board of Parks and Recreation on Thursday set the closure for 2 to 5 a.m. in an effort to allow the city to enforce its laws on the state-governed beach where homeless campers have taken advantage of a jurisdictional loophole to avoid being cited for violating city regulations.

The move was supported by Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell as well as the Waikiki Neighborhood Board, which voted to support the closure hours while urging the city to consider starting the closure hours at midnight. The parks board vote was unanimous.

Six signs informing the public of the change were expected to be posted by Friday, making it possible for police to begin citing campers in the beach area, which runs from the Hale Koa Hotel to the jetty by the Outrigger Reef hotel.

Capt. Lisa Mann, acting commander of District 6 in Waikiki for the Honolulu Police Department, said police stopped citing homeless campers at Fort DeRussy Beach earlier this year after being informed by district attorneys that they would not prosecute such cases because the city did not have enforcement powers at the beach, which is under the control of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

That decision touched off a period at the beach park during which police could not enforce the city’s so-called compassionate disruption sweeps, park closures, no-camping policies or the laws banning public urination and defecation and sitting or lying on sidewalks in Waikiki.

A subsequent rise in homeless camping prompted DLNR to transfer control of Fort DeRussy Beach to the city Oct. 10. The jurisdictional transfer is good for one year and will allow DLNR time to draft new administrative rules for Fort DeRussy Beach, which will include a ban on overnight sleeping.

Waikiki resident Steve Caplan, who complained to DLNR and the city when he noticed an increase in homeless campers at Fort DeRussy Beach, said he recently spotted more than 30 overnight campers there. But he hopes the step-up in enforcement will end the trend.

"We’ve needed enforcement, and I’m confident that the city’s involvement will bring about a much-needed solution," Caplan said.

Barry Wallace, executive vice president of hospitality services for Outrigger Enterprises Group, said the proliferation of homelessness in Waikiki continues to be a top visitor industry concern. He said he is hopeful that recent moves toward more enforcement of the district’s rules and more services for its homeless population will bring improvement.

Jerry Gibson, area vice president for Hilton Hawaii, agreed, saying that the change should make a critical difference, especially since it is being coupled with expanded Waikiki outreach by the Institute for Human Services, a nonprofit agency that runs the state’s largest homeless shelter.

"We want to get as much vigilance out there that we can so that we can help the people move into housing and so that they can live better lives themselves," Gibson said.

IHS, which got a $100,000 infusion from the visitor industry Wednesday, on Monday will start assisting Waikiki homeless people with finding shelters or homes, gaining employment, receiving medical care and reconnecting with loved ones.

"Limiting the options for homeless campers creates more opportunity for us to work with them," said Kimo Carvalho, IHS development and community relations manager. "If they are being disrupted, maybe all they’ll need to see is a bus voucher and they’ll take a ride to IHS."