Honolulu police investigating burglaries at 24 businesses

Honolulu police are investigating a series of 24 burglaries of businesses in four separate patrol districts since the end of April that detectives believe are being committed by the same crew of crooks, Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan told Honolulu police commissioners Wednesday afternoon.

Logan told commissioners that the thieves are throwing rocks through windows and then “creeping inside and taking things.”

“We are working on leads toward solving these burglaries,” Logan told commissioners Tuesday. “The team continues to do the investigations with … the information we have.”

Since April 26, police have identified 10 burglaries of small businesses they believe are related in Patrol District 7, which covers about 40 square miles in East Honolulu, from Punahou Street to Makapuu Point and the neighborhoods in the valleys of the Koolau Range to the beaches from Diamond Head to Sandy Beach, according to the department.

Six others have occurred in Patrol District 4, the largest geographical area patrolled by Honolulu police, that spans the area from Makapuu Point to Kawela Bay on Windward Oahu. Six more happened in Patrol District 8, which includes the communities of Ewa to Kaena and two more happened in District 3, which stretches from Red Hill to Village Park and Waipahu.

During a news conference Tuesday, HPD Capt. Parker Bode told reporters that investigators are having difficulty identifying the burglars in surveillance footage because their identities are being hidden by their clothing.

“They are attired in such a way that we can’t identify them. At this point we have made no arrests … but we are pursuing viable investigative leads,” Bode said. “We believe that one or more groups are working together and possibly using stolen vehicles. What we can say is that these suspects are the same individuals who are responsible for multiple break-ins.”

Many of the break-ins are happening between midnight and 4 a.m. when the businesses are closed. The burglars usually break in and leave in a vehicle that’s possibly stolen, Bode said.

On April 26, four Kailua restaurants — Pieology, Mahaloha Burger, Aloha Salads and Paniolos — had their windows and glass doors shattered by large rocks at about 3:30 a.m.

On May 25, break-ins occurred at the Aina Haina Shopping Center, Koko Marina Shopping Center and Kuono Marketplace at Kahala between 1 and 3 a.m.

Sometime after 1 a.m. May 25, thieves smashed the front doors at Aina Haina Chop Suey, Mama Pho Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine and Jack’s Restaurant. An hour later, burglars broke the glass door at Moena Cafe at the Koko Marina Shopping Center and stole an iPad and a cash storage box.

Footage recovered from a surveillance video camera at the cafe showed three men entering the restaurant. The burglary lasted about 1 minute and 15 seconds, according to the time elapsed in the footage.

The glass door at Sophie’s Gourmet Hawaiian Pizzeria located next to the cafe also was broken but nothing was missing from the pizzeria.

Burglars also shattered the glass doors at Daiichi Ramen and BB.Q Chicken at Kuono Marketplace, a neighborhood shopping center that opened in Kahala in 2021. Thieves took a cash register from Daiichi Ramen at about 2:15 a.m.

On May 11, burglars smashed the glass doors at Sumo Ramen & Curry and L&L Hawaiian Barbecue at the Market City Shopping Center in Kaimuki. A rock was left behind near shards of glass fronting L&L.

From Jan. 1 to April 30, there were 967 burglaries in Honolulu, compared with 1,103 during the same period last year, 864 in 2020, 1,319 in 2019, 1,076 in 2018 and 1,003 in 2017, according to HPD.

Bode said Tuesday that one tip for business owners is to upgrade external security.

“So that’s installing cameras, installing lighting to improve lighting, strengthening doors, strengthening windows or the glasses of the windows,” said Bode. “Another tip is to safeguard your assets. Bank the cash daily, or use a safe that is bolted to the ground.”

New shift schedule

Logan, speaking to commissioners for the first time since being sworn in as police chief June 14, said he is extending a pilot program that is exploring the return to the once-popular three-day-a-week, 12-hour shift schedule in Patrol Districts 4 and 5. Patrol District 5 covers 36 square miles of central Honolulu and has a population of about 147,400 people, according to HPD.

The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers advocated for the “3/12” work schedule as a way to improve staffing of beats and reduce the physical and emotional strain experienced by officers forced to work overtime to maintain minimum patrol staffing levels.

The 3/12 schedule started in HPD’s busiest patrol district in 1997 as a way to improve morale. Some officers enjoyed the schedule because it permitted them to pursue second jobs, advance their education or spend more time with family. The 3/12 schedule was extended to all eight patrol districts in 2000. Former HPD Chief Boisse P. Correa did away with it in January 2006.

The pilot program so far indicates that staffing levels have increased, from the current standard of 75% to the “low 90s.” There is a concern that the longer hours could drive up holiday pay costs, and Logan wants to see a solid six months of data through the end of the year before deciding whether to expand the schedule to patrol officers islandwide.

Logan wants to see how the schedule affects arrest and citation statistics and understand how it affects officers’ health and well-being.

“We want to make sure we are not fatiguing officers and they are able to work 12 hours, three days a week,” Logan said.

Transparency demand

Logan also thanked the commissioners for the opportunity to apply and serve the city.

“It was a long, challenging process for me,” Logan said. “I probably didn’t realize … the process, being the way it was, taught me a few things about myself and I’m grateful for that.” He thanked his colleagues at the state Attorney General’s Office, including retired HPD officer Daniel Hanagami, with helping him “understand what it means to be a police chief.”

Commissioners welcomed Logan and wished him well.

Commissioner Doug Chin, a former state attorney general and lieutenant governor who spent 15 years as a deputy prosecuting attorney, told Logan that commissioners are there to help him and his leadership team succeed. Chin said there are “certain members of the press and public” that will be watching the department closely because of the longstanding perception that HPD is not very transparent and does not communicate very well with the media and community.

He said he agreed with SHOPO that a call to the news media informing them of Logan’s private, unannounced swearing-in would have helped improve HPD’s track record with transparency.

“You coming into this position are fighting a perception that the department hasn’t been transparent in the past,” Chin said. “I want to encourage you going forward, you have a big ship to turn around, you may not have been the cause of the perception … but you are now responsible for it.”

Logan said that HPD will livestream all events performed by him and his leadership team and that “200 to 300” people, including the news media, will be invited to his ceremonial swearing-in June 29.

“I absolutely agree, we will take a look at anything we do that involves all of us on the fourth floor, and provide a live video feed,” Logan said. “Because I’ve been gone for 20 years, I ask a lot of questions … if I don’t think it’s right I’m going to start changing things. … Things are going to probably change … for the better and (be) more transparent and accountable to the community.”