A city project ahead of schedule

For weary taxpayers, the bloated rail and other plodding government projects have made a mockery of the pat phrase, “on budget and on time.”

That’s why it’s refreshing to hear news that the Honolulu Police Department’s body camera project is rolling out so smoothly that its timetable can be accelerated.

The pilot started in August with the first group of HPD officers, and some 300 cameras are now being used in downtown Honolulu and Waikiki; the second watch of East Honolulu will begin use this week. Full implementation — now expected by year’s end, eight months earlier than expected — will have about 1,200 cameras total in the field for patrol officers, solo bike officers and others who work closely with the public.

Keeping pressure on Kakaako homeless camps

The homelessness situation in Kakaako has gotten, well, all hammajang.

Things do sound better for the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center, thanks to a concerted cleanup effort that included the area’s houseless folks; let’s hope it holds. But now, the tents have migrated up to Kakaako’s Mauka Gateway Park, which the city has tried diligently in recent months to keep clean and clear. So it’s not surprising that advocates’ Thursday request to temporarily leave the campers be, was denied.

Helping to uproot from around the center, doesn’t grant permission to live in the park — which is not how people should live. As the city stressed: “There’s plenty of (shelter) space for those who want to avail themselves.”