Niu Valley residents band together to rid area of crime
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
NIU VALLEY — Before crime jolted this sleepy valley awake, most residents barely knew their neighbors' names despite having lived in the same homes for dozens of years.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
But when house burglaries became frequent in an area accustomed to little crime — at one point, something happened: Residents began talking.
Belle Ruff Armstrong, one of many block captains in the Niu Valley neighborhood security watch program, places the latest newsletter that helps unite the community under the mat at a neighbor's home.
And that, police say, was the key to loosening crime's grip on the area sandwiched between 'Aina Haina and Hawai'i Kai.
"Communication is the key to success in fighting crime, not only with one another but with law enforcement," said Detective Letha DeCaires, who heads the CrimeStoppers division.
Today, nearly a year later, a suspected drug house in Niu Valley has been shut down, numerous strangers no longer ply the neighborhood and crime is down. Residents are celebrating — but still vigilant because the struggle isn't over — and their example shows how any neighborhood can fight back against crime.
But last year people such as Jeannine Johnson were filled with alarm and fear.
"I thought I was the only one in the valley who cared," said Johnson. "But there were others who cared, too."
People like Susan Mathewson, Linda Vanetta, Susan Johnson and Vernon Chuck. Along with Jeannine Johnson, they became what she called "the main vigilantes."
In the beginning, they acted individually. Some went out in their own cars, patrolling the streets, some rode bicycles and others just became generally nosy. They wrote down license-plate numbers, they got dogs and they confronted strangers.
Soon it became apparent that the problems stemmed from one home.
Frustrated by burglaries they said were too numerous to keep track of, they continued to call the police often. Officers knew about the suspected drug house but were conducting an investigation and couldn't do much more than be sympathetic and responsive. They couldn't give residents the answers they wanted.
Residents voice concerns
A turning point came in September when nearly 50 residents jammed a neighborhood board meeting and vented their frustration and concerns at becoming burglary victims or fear that they would be next.
That let residents know they weren't alone, and two weeks later nearly 100 people showed up at another meeting. There, plans were laid for reviving their Neighborhood Security Watch, keeping their problem before police and improving communication.
About that time, police raided the home on Haleola Street from where residents suspected much of the drug activity stemmed. Officers arrested 50-year-old Eric Waltz, the son of a longtime resident. Waltz was indicted in February on felony and misdemeanor charges of third-degree possession of a dangerous drug, third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, third-degree unlawful use of drug paraphernalia and promotion of a harmful drug, said Jim Fulton, city prosecutor's spokesman.
"We were watching this house when the residents started to complain," said police Sgt. Cary Okimoto. "But we couldn't tell the residents. They were frustrated. They could see what was going on, but we couldn't do anything because of the way the laws are."
Before they could raid the home, police needed an informant willing to make two drug buys within a 10-day period so they could obtain a search warrant, Okimoto said.
"We felt their pain," he said. "Drugs were being sold from the house to people they knew. We suspected they were making the drugs in a cottage in the back of the property."
Even after police raided the house, there were still strangers roaming the community, residents said. Crime didn't abate until police helped the home's new owners in November by moving the alleged drug dealer's possessions to the curb.
December turnaround
Since then, the number of property crimes — burglaries, thefts from cars, thefts from garages and car thefts — has declined to a more manageable level, Chuck said. Numbers were incomplete, but the crimes reported in December — 11 — appeared to be at about the monthly average before crime spiked. At their peak, there were 18 to 20 property crimes per month.
For comparison, in the neighboring valley of 'Aina Haina there were 10 property crimes in December.
"I think (the number of crimes are lower) because we're really looking out for each other," Jeannine Johnson said.
"Now we have unity," Mathewson said.
"We all snapped at the same time," said Vanetta. "That's what helped mobilize us."
Today, the reactivated Neighborhood Security Watch empowers residents to check out strangers to see if they belong by asking if they need help or directions. The group has a presence on the Internet where they post crime statistics, homeowner tips, a monthly newsletter, information on the watch program and links to other sites. Residents also warn each other about crimes in the area via an e-mail tree, and some plan to work for change by lobbying for tougher laws at the state Legislature.
The security watch group plans a party to celebrate the community's success. The party will be from 2 to 4 p.m. April 18 at Niu Valley Middle School.
"It will be a time for the community to socialize with a crime prevention theme," Jeannine Johnson said.
Changing laws
Even now, with property crime down and an active neighborhood security watch program in place, the community knows it cannot let down its guard, Jeannine Johnson said.
"I do feel safer," Jeannine Johnson said. "Now, every time I hear a car door slam or a dog barking for too long, I go outside and check it out. Every time I drive by that (suspected drug) house, I get flashbacks of fear and anger."
However, another suspected drug house is believed to be operating in the area, and the community's long-term goal is to help get the laws changed to make them work for police, she said.
Recently, Jeannine Johnson and Vanetta took time off work and sat through a long hearing on a Senate bill involving state wiretapping laws. They hope their personal testimony will lead to changes that make it easier for police to arrest drug dealers.
"We have to change the laws," Jeannine Johnson said. "The police say they cannot do anything. The defense lawyers (who testified in opposition to the bill) accused the government of trying to create a police state filled with fear and anxiety. There are no laws the state could pass that we'd be afraid of.
"It's the criminals we fear."
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
