Tourism Authority may fight crime with cameras
By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hawai'i tourism officials are considering putting surveillance cameras at parking lots frequented by tourists to help reduce the number of car break-ins.
The Hawai'i Tourism Authority yesterday discussed the possibility of starting a pilot program, to run from June to October at two lots in parks at a cost of $50,000.
"What we're hearing over and over again is we're having major problems with visitors and security," said Rex Johnson, executive director of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority.
In a partnership with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Honolulu Police Department, excess money from the tourism authority's major festivals program and other initiatives will go toward a Sensormatic Hawaii Inc. wireless video surveillance system.
It is hoped the cameras can help reduce break-ins and help convict those arrested. The pilot program would test the effectiveness of the system at two sites during the busy season.
Some on the tourism authority board are hesitant about the program because of a long-standing debate about who should pay for such initiatives. The Hawai'i Tourism Authority is the agency tasked with marketing the Islands, but its officials say they are asked to pay for many other activities that benefit residents as well, such as park improvements, beach upkeep and crime control.
Budget constraints make it difficult for the police department to patrol all areas adequately, and for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to fulfill all its mandates.
Tourism could benefit from controlling crime, but some at the tourism authority fear that running a pilot program to deter crime at parks could put the agency in charge of a more costly, long-term program.
"I'm concerned we seem to be on a slippery slope in starting to take on projects that really aren't part of our mandate," said tourism authority board member Stephen Yamashiro.
Tourism liaison Marsha Wienert, who sits on the tourism authority, said the agency should work more on "proactive" prevention, such as educating visitors about how to protect themselves from crime.
Some said the responsibility for a surveillance camera program should lie with the Police Department or DLNR.
Surveillance cameras were installed by the city years ago in Chinatown and Waikiki, but nearly 30 percent of them malfunctioned. Sensormatic was awarded the contract to fix and run the system.
The board deferred the issue, and tourism authority staff plan to discuss with the Police Department and DLNR how a pilot and a permanent program would work.
"I don't think we can ignore this. This should be one of our top priorities," said board member Lorrie Lee Stone. She and others in the tourism industry worry that a serious crime against a tourist vacationing in Hawai'i could spark headlines around the world that would severely damage the Islands' reputation.
Board chairman Mike McCartney said a related problem is some residents' attitudes toward tourists, adding that he had seen some tourists treated badly.
"I was pretty appalled," McCartney said. "Their attitude was really negative."
Separately, a long-vacant Hawaiian cultural representative position on the board has been filled by Kawaikapuokalani K. Hewett, cultural health director at the Waimanalo Health Center. The authority is also meeting with Hawaiian culture representatives on tourism issues. "We generally want to talk about issues that the Hawaiian community has with tourism," Johnson said.
At its board meeting yesterday, the tourism authority also approved measures for guidelines on the Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau, and tourism authority board eligibility to minimize the appearance of conflicts of interest between the authority, the visitor industry and HVCB, in response to a critical state audit last summer.
Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at 535-2470, or at kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com.
