Police speed up traffic accident response

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Staff Writer

Honolulu police have doubled the number of officers responding to major traffic accidents in an effort to expedite their investigations and cut traffic backlogs.

"We know the pressure's on, and we're really working to speed things up," Capt. Bryan Wauke, head of the HPD traffic division, told members of the City Council's Transportation Committee yesterday.

A second investigation team is on call to join primary investigators at accidents that result in major road closures.

Putting as many as eight people on an investigation has led to quicker reopening of roads in many cases, although the change has not been in place long enough to develop meaningful statistics, Wauke said.

"Each accident is different, and we still have to do our jobs," he said. "But the investigators know that the people are in their cars waiting to get home or pick up their kids, and that definitely keeps the pressure on us."

Police have come under intense criticism in recent months for extended closures of major roadways to complete their investigations. In August, the east-bound lanes of the H-1 Freeway in Kaimuki were closed for eight hours after one fatal accident. The same month, two separate accidents in Pearl City shut Kamehameha Highway for several hours, stranding thousands of motorists.

Police have increased training, promised less turnover in the traffic division and stationed an officer at the city's traffic control center to report problems immediately. They also have identified and implemented a system of using alternate routes when a roadway is closed, Wauke said.