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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, March 20, 2005

Military housing security a worry

 •  Map: Former military housing areas to be protected

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Navy man Chris Hill hopes city officials will give Honolulu police enough money to patrol his neighborhood at Moanalua Terrace and restore some of the sense of security missing since the military handed over the community to a private contractor.

Chris Hill, a Navy technician third class whose family lives at Moanalua Terrace, says he feels less safe at home now that the Pentagon has decided to let private contractors manage certain military housing communities such as his.

Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Hill, an electronics technician third class, lives in one of the smart-looking new homes below Salt Lake Boulevard with his wife and their 9-month-old son.

After two years in the community, he has seen what it was like with military security and now without. "We don't see any kind of patrols now," Hill said, which makes it seem less safe. He has heard that there have been more car break-ins and burglaries.

Moanalua Terrace is among a handful of military housing areas on O'ahu that have come under private management as part of a nationwide Pentagon program to speed up military housing projects.

Now, besides the public safety issues that have arisen concerning these areas, city officials are beginning to question what it will cost the Honolulu government to provide key services formerly taken care of by the military.

In the first indication of new costs associated with these areas, police have asked for more than $540,000 this year to add new six-officer beats at Iroquois Point and at naval housing in Kalihi that includes Moanalua Terrace, Radford Terrace and Halsey Terrace, an area of 1,800 homes.

Impact fees paid by the developers are supposed to help defray the cost of city services, but City Councilman Nestor Garcia said the city is getting more responsibility but no new resources. And with the trend toward more privatizing of these federal properties, the issue needs to be addressed now, said Garcia.

"I want to make sure that our taxpayers are taken care of, too," he said.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann said the city wants to assist the military.

"We want to do our part," he said, but "we've got to figure out how we can get reimbursed for some if not all of those services."

The private developers for these areas are responsible for collecting the housing allowances and managing and maintaining the homes.

Officials with Forest City Residential Management, the private company that in May 2004 took over management of Moanalua Terrace and the other naval housing areas in Kalihi, declined to comment for this story. Iroquois Point Homes, which now manages the housing area at Iroquois Point, could not be reached for comment.

Police Chief Boisse Correa said his department had "major concerns on the calls for service" from these areas.

Police Capt. Mitch Kiyuna said officers responded to 90 calls from Iroquois Point during January and February, ranging from burglaries to car break-ins to arguments.

Lt. Sherman Chan said the naval housing area in his Kalihi patrol district generated 257 police calls during January and February — more than four a day.

That's far below the number of calls for a more densely populated neighboring beat, which had more than twice the calls. But it's still a demand that wasn't there before and one that pulls officers away from other duties.

Chan said that with the added coverage area, "instead of doing five daily patrols, we may be able to do about three" throughout his Kalihi district. That "often leaves our officers vulnerable in certain areas."

Grant Tanimoto, chairman of the Aliamanu/Salt Lake/Foster Village Neighborhood Board, was "ecstatic" to hear that police are budgeting for more beat coverage for the area. "The police are spread too thin," he said.

The Fire Department could provide no cost estimates for the extra services that will be needed to cover the areas, but has seen increased demand, said Assistant Chief Kenneth Silva.

Silva said there are other concerns about taking over the former federal areas.

"They don't follow the (city) fire code," which covers such issues as the spacing of hydrants, water pressure, streets too small to turn a fire truck around, he said. That leaves "a hodgepodge of things" and "just more danger involved."

U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye's chief of staff in Hawai'i is Jennifer Goto Sabas. She said the intent is for those military housing areas located outside of the secured bases and posts to have residents pay property taxes to ease the impact on city services.

Sabas said the developers of housing areas that have been taken over by private contractors within military property will pay impact fees. But those outside of the fence "will pay property taxes like everyone else," she said.

For residents of the housing areas, safety is the immediate concern.

Roy Drake serves as one of three Halsey Terrace resident advisory board presidents. He said crime has increased since the military patrols left.

He said he's glad to hear the city police force is asking for the resources to take care of the beat because the private security force hired by the developer can't serve as police.

"We've had town meetings about this," Drake said. "Someone has to do it."

At Iroquois Point, security concerns run a little higher for young families.

"The crime rate is going up," said Emily, who asked that her full name not be published because her husband is overseas.

She's happy to hear that Honolulu police are making plans for the beat. "It would make it more secure," she said.

Staff Writer James Gonser contributed to this report. Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.

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