At a click, crime statistics
By Eloise Aguiar
North Shore Writer
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NORTH SHORE — A new police Web site is helping residents track crime such as burglaries, automobile thefts and auto break-ins in neighborhoods from Mililani to the North Shore.
The District 2 Crime Analysis & Targeting site is the first of its kind in Hawai'i and has been operating since October, but relatively few people seem to know about it.
If residents had known, they might have been on the alert when on a single day in October four vehicles were broken into on Ke Nui Road in Sunset. Two days earlier six car break-ins took place between Sunset and Waimea.
The statistics don't say if tourists or residents are the target of the break-ins, but knowing something is going on is good, said Antya Miller, a Waialua resident.
"Anything that raises awareness of crime in the community is good for business," said Miller, executive director for the North Shore Chamber of Commerce. "We know exactly where the hot spots are and to be on the lookout for trouble."
The Crime Analysis and Targeting Pilot Program initiated at the Honolulu Police Department’s District 2 was funded by a 2005 Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Administration.
Sgt. Joe Whittaker, with District 2, conceived the idea and said he wanted to motivate people to get involved in helping police reduce crime by giving residents the same information the police have.
"If you were living on a certain street, wouldn't you want to know there were five burglaries there last week?" he asked. Armed with that information, Neighborhood Security Watch groups are beefing up participation, Whittaker said.
The Web site includes a disclaimer and provides the statistics in graphic and written form once a week, usually Mondays. Main property crimes are listed, including recovered automobiles and graffiti. Whittaker said other crimes such as robbery can be added as needed.
Someday, he said, he would like the site to be more interactive, with people reporting crimes or other information anonymously.
"If you knew your niece or nephew were drug addicts and they were breaking into houses in Mililani, that type of thing," Whittaker said. "That might be good in the future to have a mail-in form online to maintain people's anonymity."
For years, the Honolulu Police Department has been sharing statistics with Neighborhood Boards, but few others were able to gain access to that information. But wider use of computer technology and new software programs have made gathering information easier.
Posting the statistics was the natural next step for the department, said Whittaker, who obtained a grant from the Justice Association for the project.
He said he's spent $5,000 for equipment, and there is money for officers working overtime on the project. The project also includes tracking the numbers to see if there is a reduction in crime.
"The ultimate goal is to reduce crime," Whittaker said.
Michael Lyons, chairman of the North Shore Neighborhood Board, said the statistics will give residents evidence they need to push for more police patrol in the community, which sees millions of tourists a year.
About half of the crimes in the area are against tourists, and that does not bode well for the industry or North Shore businesses that rely on visitors, Lyons said.
Lyons, a retired police officer, said he hopes the police department increases its presence in the area. Despite a growing population, an increase in visitors, more crime and more car crashes, the North Shore has had only four police patrol officers for decades, he said.
"Part of the reason we get victimized is we have four policemen down here and we need much more," Lyons said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Correction: The Crime Analysis and Targeting Pilot Program initiated at the Honolulu Police Department’s District 2 was funded by a 2005 Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Administration. A previous version of this story didn’t include the grant’s name.
