Lana'i replacing antiquated police station and tiny jail
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor
The jail at the Lana'i Police Station is so antiquated, it's become something of a tourist attraction. The old military ice house that has developed a serious tilt is one of the most photographed buildings on the resort island, said Lt. Bobby Hill, commander of the Maui Police Department's Lana'i District.
Lt. Bobby Hill • Maui Police Department, Lana'i District
But quaint doesn't cut it for a modern police force, and early next year construction is expected to start on a $3.7 million station with a roomier cellblock.
One of the most photographed buildings on Lana'i, the 624-square-foot police station built in 1939 is staffed by nine police officers, a clerk and animal control officer.
The police station on Fraser and 8th avenues in Lana'i City is in a former residence built in 1939. About one-third of the 624-square-foot building is used by the state judiciary for a full-time employee and makeshift courtroom.
MPD staffs the Lana'i station with nine police officers, a clerk and a part-time animal control officer.
Hill pointed out that the station lacks even wiring for the Internet. Computers are used only for word processing.
And that jail cell? Prisoners who cannot post bail are held only until they can be put on the first flight or ferry to Maui, because it holds only one person. If there are two or more prisoners, one is locked in the cell and the others handcuffed to a "detention bar." Given the limits on how long a detainee can be attached to the bar, police have to rotate prisoners into the cell until they can be shipped off island, Hill said.
The new 8,200-square-foot police station planned for the corner of Fraser and 9th avenues will meet federal requirements, providing separate accommodations for men, women and youth.
There will be more storage for files and evidence, office space for a full-time investigator, locker rooms, bathrooms, a fitness room and conference room. Outside will be 30-foot radio tower, covered parking and a dog kennel.
The building will serve also as an emergency operations center for Civil Defense, and police will continue to share space with the judiciary.
Lt. Bobby Hill • Maui Police Department, Lana'i District
A multimillion-dollar police station may seem extravagant for an island whose population is almost exactly what it was in 1950 — about 3,100. Ninety-eight percent of Lana'i is owned by Castle & Cooke, which transformed the island from a pineapple plantation to a luxury resort development during the past decade.
The cellblock at the Lana'i police station can hold only one person. Anyone else being detained must be handcuffed to a bar and rotated with the person jailed until they can be sent off island.
Despite the drastic change, Lana'i remains a close-knit community with small-town sensibilities, Hill said.
"The people on Lana'i are the nicest people you'll ever meet. Even the bad people are nice," he said.
Still, the island is not immune from crime. Domestic abuse and drugs are two major problems, as are speeding and loud mufflers.
In the first nine months of 2002, there were 13 burglaries, 22 disorderly conduct complaints, 26 reports of domestic abuse, 43 drug offenses and one auto theft, according to MPD statistics. As of Oct. 17, there were two drunken driving arrests.
Maui County Police Chief Tom Phillips said Lana'i is long overdue for a new police station, and the project must take into account future growth. New, affluent residents have been buying high-end homes and condos being developed by Castle & Cooke, and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has announced planned construction of 156 housing units outside Lana'i City.
"We don't want to plan for what our needs are today. We want to make sure we don't outgrow a new station in two, three or five years," Phillips said.
He also said construction costs are higher on Lana'i, where materials and workers must be imported from off island.
The county has not yet selected a contractor for the job. The project requires building and grading permits, and consultant Munekiyo & Hiraga Inc. is collecting public comments for a draft environmental assessment until Nov. 22.
Comments should be sent to the consultant at 305 High St., Wailuku 96793, the Maui Police Department at 55 Mahalani St., Wailuku 96793, and the Office of Environmental Quality Control, 235 S. Beretania St., Suite 702, Honolulu 96813.
