Coconut crabs not worth food value

Perhaps it has something to do with the quality of our coconut trees.

The discovery of a giant coconut crab, strolling down Salt Lake Boulevard on Sunday, comes after the discovery of the coconut rhinoceros beetle around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

Besides their association with coconuts, both species are distinguished by their scarily large size; the crabs, which can grow to 3 feet, look like something out of a monster movie. They can be as big as the trash cans they like to break into, looking for a meal.

Since they eat just about anything, we don’t want them here.

Even if they taste good.

Smile, you’re on candid camera?

It’s encouraging that the Kauai Police Department intends to provide its police officers with body cameras to make a visual record of on-the-scene law enforcement.

Following up on a pilot project, the department expects to buy 141 cameras at a cost of $134,000.

The use of police body cameras is on the upswing as studies in some jurisdictions suggests the cameras temper the behavior of both officers and citizens, defusing potentially explosive situations.

The visual record can also provide a more accurate eyewitness account.

The cameras are not foolproof. A video record could have a chilling effect on informants and, as in the choking death of Eric Garner in New York City, even a clear view doesn’t settle debates on police use of force.

Even so, the Honolulu Police Department should follow Kauai’s lead. The benefits to the public outweigh the risks.