Groups coordinating to fight rise in East Oahu burglaries

Question: There are rumors about break-ins in our neighborhood. … Is anybody doing anything about this? I don’t have time to go to a lot of community meetings.

Answer: Yes. You asked us not to print your street, so we’ll say only that you live in Hawaii Kai, near Portlock. Recent burglaries in that area have caught the attention of East Oahu residents, including state Rep. Gene Ward, who highlighted the topic in his November newsletter. Kokua Line followed up with Edgar Miner, president of the Maunalua Triangle-Koko Kai Community Association, who said that his group is coordinating with others, including the Portlock Community Association and the Honolulu Police Department, to help thwart this uptick in property crime. “Our community has really mobilized to put a stop to this,” said Miner, who invited you to email him at edgarminer@msn.com for more information.

Neighborhood board elections

Speaking of civic engagement, Oahu residents interested in serving on advisory neighborhood boards may apply to run online, at www2.honolulu.gov/nbe, or by submitting a completed candidate registration form in hard copy, the Neighborhood Commission Office announced.

The printed form is available at the NCO at Kapalama Hale, 925 Dillingham Blvd., Suite 160, and at the Department of Customer Services Public Information Center at the Mission Memorial Building, 550 S. King St.

Feb. 17 is the deadline to apply as a candidate. Mailed forms must by postmarked by that date and received by Feb. 24, according to the NCO. Oahu residents who will be at least 18 by Feb. 17 are eligible to run.

The voting period will run from April 28 to May 17. Those elected will serve two-year terms, commencing July 1.

Find more information on the NCO website at honolulu.­gov/nco.

Q: Is it true that you can go 10 mph over the speed limit without getting a ticket?

A: No. The Honolulu Police Department dispels this persistent myth on its website, emphasizing that motorists can be cited for driving even 1 mph above the posted speed limit. The fine varies depending on how fast the offender is driving, with enhanced penalties for excessive speeding, which is defined as 30 mph above the posted speed limit.

Q: Do those surveillance cameras at Ala Moana park record people inside the bathrooms?

A: No. “These cameras do not record any activity inside the comfort stations. Their line of sight is restricted to the entrances of the two comfort stations where they are posted,” Department of Parks and Recreation spokesman Nate Serota said Tuesday, confirming information provided by the city when the surveillance cameras were installed last month.

A total of four monitoring cameras were placed at the entrances of bathrooms on the Ewa side of the two L&L concession stands at Ala Moana Regional Park in hopes of deterring vandalism and other crime at Oahu’s most heavily used park.

The closed-circuit cameras capture high-resolution footage of people going in and out of the two comfort stations. The digital images are stored for seven days and can be recalled to help solve crimes that occur in the vicinity, the city said.

At $1,600 for the cameras and the data storage, the city considers this an inexpensive approach that has paid off elsewhere, noting that security cameras installed as a pilot project at Waipahu’s Hans L’Orange Park in 2014 reduced vandalism to comfort stations there. The city will gauge the effectiveness of the Ala Moana security cameras after six months, and, if the results are impressive, may expand the monitoring program to other Oahu parks.

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.