Question: Following up on the June 15 column about 911 calls and police reports (808ne.ws/28QCOSz), how does somebody get a copy of a 911 call?
Answer: Audio recordings of 911 calls made on Oahu are saved for a year from the date of the call.
The Honolulu Police Department is considering changing the procedure and fees for releasing available calls. Here is how the process stands for now, said HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu:
“Members of the public who want to obtain a copy of a 911 recording should submit a Request to Access a Government Record (Office of Information Practices Form 1) to the HPD Communications Division. The request should specify the date, time, location and nature of the call. If the person making the request is not the caller, confidential information (such as names, addresses, license plates and medical information) will be redacted or deleted from the recording.
“Generally, the cost for a recording is $20 for search/review/segregation and $1.25 for the CD recording.
“It should be noted that recordings involving ongoing criminal investigations cannot be released without the approval of the police chief or an investigator.”
Q: What does the fire ant look like? Because the ants that I am seeing in Kaneohe have some long legs.
A: The worker ants of this stinging invasive species are tiny (about 1/16th of an inch long), pale orange (sometimes described as reddish- or golden-brown) and move very slowly.
You may submit dead samples of ants from your property to the state Department of Agriculture for verification. Find collection instructions at littlefireants.com/survey.html. Since you do not have easy access to the internet, here are the steps in brief: Smear a thin coat of peanut butter on one end of a disposable chopstick. Place peanut-buttered sticks where you have seen ants (including directly on plants); one stick every 2 feet is recommended. After an hour, collect ant-covered sticks and place them in a sealable plastic bag. Write the date and your name and contact information on the bag. Freeze the bag at least 24 hours to kill the ants. Deliver or mail the sample to Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Plant Pest Control Branch, 1428 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96814.
You may also call the Hawaii Ant Lab in Hilo (315-5656) or the state pest hotline (643-7378).
Auwe
I hope that all leaders in local tour companies will read this and take heart. Yesterday we were visiting the Pali Lookout. We are residents, but enjoy the splendor of this sacred place. There was an international visitor near the entrance to the lookout, smoking a cigarette even though, on the trash receptacle nearby, there is a sign stating “No smoking.” This person then squashed the cigarette and dropped it over the short wall. We were appalled, and proceeded to communicate to him to pick it up. He walked into a white tour bus, but I did not get to see the name on the bus. There was also a group of foreign tourists standing at the trash receptacle, seeming to finish their cigarettes as fast as they could. My plea is to all tour companies of Hawaii: Please stress the importance of no smoking at national and state parks — especially at the Pali Lookout. It is so windy there. What if a lit cigarette got blown into the brush? Or, as the tourist did, someone just disposes of it in the grass, without knowing if it is fully extinguished? I would not like to see the devastation a brush fire could cause there. Yes, we should always display aloha. We also must teach visitors to Hawaii what it means to aloha aina. — D.S.
Mahalo
My husband and I were leaving the Nanakuli Father’s Day Regatta after a long Sunday and my husband tripped on some rocks and took a hard fall. He was not hurt, but before I even had time to help him, three or four different guys were there in an instant to help him up and pick up our cooler and paddles. A woman nearby asked us if we needed water and another woman wished him a Happy Father’s Day. … To all: A big “thank you” from two Hui Nalu Canoe Club members for your kindness! — Mahalo, Liz S.
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