Wahiawa police to park bicycles at yearend

By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Central OÎahu Writer

WAHIAWA— A pilot program in which police officers patrolled the streets on bicycles will come to a halt at the end of the year because of a lack of money.

A $60,000 federal grant from the Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawai'i to finance the program will run out this month, Police Sgt. Fay Tamura of the Wahiawa station said.

The bike patrols, which began last December for two evenings a week, mainly covered two federal housing areas on North Cane and Palm streets.

"It was an effective program because it provided police presence to the area," said Laura Kahawai of the Wahiawa Terrace Tenants Association. She said residents from her complex have met with nonprofit organizations in hopes of securing another grant early next year to continue the program.

"Before, we had a lot of problems with drug-dealing and public drinking in our neighborhood," said Kahawai, a 10-year Palm Street resident. "The loiterers would see the blue lights on the patrol car coming around the corner, and put all the contraband away.

The bike patrols made the difference because officers could "sneak up on" drug dealers, Kahawai said. "The patrol cars also couldn't check out the smaller alleys," she added.

While Wahiawa police did not have detailed figures on how much the bike patrols have reduced crime in the two public housing areas, Kahawai said it's made a huge difference.

"After 8 p.m., it's really quiet now," she said. "You don't have these unusual amount of cars driving in and out of our parking lot."

Kahawai said the bicycle patrols were also a throwback to the beat officers who once walked the streets.

"Our kids had gotten familiar with (the officers), talking to them," she said. "It was especially reassuring for the younger ones; they had someone to turn to."

For the program, the station purchased 12 mountain bikes valued at up to $1,200 each. It cost another $600 to train and certify each of the 27 officers in the bike program, and the grant also paid for the officers' overtime because they worked outside their normal shifts.

Tamura said the bicycles will be used by the police's North Shore Beach Task Force, which has cracked down on thefts from autos.

Meanwhile, Kahawai said her complex's neighborhood security watch wants to expand its program to the Ohai and Koa street neighborhoods.

Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.