Bill would let volunteers tag abandoned cars
By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
A shortage of police officers in Honolulu has prompted the City Council to consider letting community volunteers help enforce parking and abandoned-vehicle laws.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
A bill introduced by City Council member Mike Gabbard would enable volunteers to issue parking, littering and abandoned-vehicle tickets so police would have more time to address other crimes. Council members Gary Okino, Rod Tam, Ann Kobayashi and Romy Cachola also signed the bill, which will be given a public hearing this afternoon.
Elizabeth Martinez documents abandoned cars in Waimanalo, where she says trash is often dumped along with derelict cars at Hihimanu and Waikupahana streets.
"Maybe we can get some helpers in there ... to take care of the manini stuff, so (police) can take care of the murders and the rapists — the big stuff," Gabbard said.
He noted that there are about 33,000 neighborhood security watch volunteers. "My sense is people are really fed up with crime and drug abuse, and they're willing to step up to the plate," he said.
Gabbard's plan is modeled after an existing program in which volunteers issue citations for illegal parking in disabled stalls. It would be aimed at helping neighborhoods rid their areas of derelict cars, a sore point for communities such as Waimanalo. It also would help crack down on other types of illegal parking.
• To report abandoned or derelict motor vehicles that have remained on public property for more than 24 hours, call 733-2530, fill out a problem report form online or e-mail fixit@co.honolulu.hi.us. • Once a complaint is received, inspectors from the city Motor Vehicles, Licensing and Permits Division tag vehicles on public property. If the vehicle is not removed within 24 hours, it is towed to the abandoned-vehicle contractor's tow yard. • The city then tries to contact the last known owner, who has 10 days to claim the vehicle. Any vehicles left unclaimed will be auctioned or taken to a recycler. • The fine for abandoning a vehicle is $155.
The Police Department issues more than 80,000 parking tickets a year. Most tickets carry a $30 fine; some run as high as $55. Parking in a disabled parking space carries the heaviest penalty, a $255 fine. During the last fiscal year, roughly 700 abandoned-vehicle citations were issued at $155 apiece.
Abandoned cars
City spokeswoman Carol Costa said inspectors were sent out to check 24,621 complaints about abandoned vehicles in the last fiscal year, leading to city removal of 7,742 vehicles. Some complaints were disputes between neighbors or vehicles left unattended but not abandoned.
Costa said 2,812 citations were issued, a quarter of them for abandoned vehicles and the rest for expired registration or safety inspections.
Maj. Bryan Wauke of the HPD Traffic Division said 20 to 25 active community volunteers spend five hours a week enforcing the law on parking illegally in disabled stalls. They issue about 3,200 violations a year.
He said expanding the volunteer program to handle parking, littering and abandoned and derelict vehicles would involve finding, screening and selecting volunteers, training them and assigning them to areas where police get frequent complaints.
He said volunteers issuing disabled parking citations had been assaulted on occasion, so "we want to know where they are."
• Bill 64 would allow volunteers to help Honolulu police officers enforce state and city laws regarding parking, abandoned vehicles, littering and illegal dumping. • Commissioned volunteers would be able to issue citations, with fines up to $255. • Volunteers would be asked to spend at least 20 hours in training that would address state and city laws, how to identify violators and issue citations, how to use communication equipment, how to handle confrontations with suspects and how to testify in court. • Police will set the minimum hours each volunteer must put in each week, and will assign the volunteers to a specific location. • Eligible volunteers must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and a Honolulu resident. They also must pass a criminal background check, possess a valid Hawai'i driver's license and pass a training program. • The City Council will hold a public hearing on the bill at 2 p.m. today.
But Wauke said HPD would welcome more help. Volunteer help has "freed up our officers for other things — not just responding to calls for service, but actual patrol of the area."
Volunteer bill highlights
Waimanalo resident Glenn Martinez, 54, said the volunteer program would be a breakthrough.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, who own Olomana Gardens, a horse ranch and wedding business, actively work to keep their community clean. They say abandoned and derelict vehicles are a huge problem.
The couple carry digital cameras to document abandoned and derelict vehicles, and call or fax the license-plate information to the city.
Despite their efforts, junked cars clutter the sides of roads. Glenn Martinez says that once a car is abandoned, thieves come to strip it, vandals break the glass and people fill it with trash.
Real-estate broker Mark Buck, 58, would like to see more parking enforcement in his neighborhood. He said vehicles frequently block the sidewalk on Po'ola Street, forcing walkers and joggers into the street.
But he thinks police, not volunteers, should be doing the enforcement.
"I think at this point we're being asked to do their job," he said.
Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
