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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, June 26, 2003

BUREAUCRACY BUSTER
Tinted glass law governs police, too

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q. Are police cars bound by the same regulations for tinted windows as civilian cars?

I had to cross the street and a police car was blocking the crosswalk. I try to make eye contact with drivers before I cross in front of their cars, but since I couldn't see through this officer's windshield, I ended up crossing behind him, outside the crosswalk.

A. Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu said the tinting regulations in Hawai'i Revised Statutes 291-21.5 apply to police and civilian cars. HPD Internal Affairs inspects the police vehicles annually to make sure they are in compliance. Disciplinary action is taken if the tint is too dark.

However, a window you can't see through may be within legal limits. Yu pointed out that it is difficult to tell with the naked eye whether the tint is too dark.


Q. Is there any law prohibiting dog owners from leaving dog waste in the front of their yards?

A. Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo said dog waste is covered in the state laws on nuisance on public property and sources of filth (Hawai'i Revised Statutes 322-2 and 322-3). "The statutes require persons to remove, abate, destroy or prevent any sources of filth that create foul or noxious odors," Okubo said. "The Department of Health can compel any property owner to clean up at their own expense."


Q. A number of us who live near Kawainui Marsh, and others who like to walk or jog along the levee walking path, are tired of hearing the incessant drone of model airplanes. The designated area off Kapa'a Quarry Road is a mile or two away — yet these "toys" have gotten so big, the engine noise carries for miles!

Whom can we complain to about the excessive noise levels of these model airplanes? What are the permissible decibel levels? Can police determine that the noise is within these levels if we call them?

A. Craig Maeda, from the city's Park Maintenance and Recreation Services Division, said people who are permitted to fly the model planes are expected to monitor the noise levels at 80 decibels, as established by the Department of Health. The parks staff has been instructed to remind the permit holders to monitor the levels of noise.

Residents should register complaints with police.

Kailua police said they have not received complaints about the model airplane noise. While they do not have equipment to test noise levels, they could send an officer out to determine if the noise is unreasonable.

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605 Kapi'olani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96813

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