The Honolulu Police Department is searching for a new Waipahu storefront site after being booted from its two longtime substations in the region in recent months.

Closure of the substations at the Don Quijote Waipahu shopping complex and the Gentry Waipi'o Shopping Center is not affecting police service or public safety in those areas, said police Maj. Debbie Tandal, who heads the Pearl City station that has jurisdiction over Waipahu.

Nonetheless, the substations have been valuable outposts serving as a rest stop for officers in the field and as a visible police facility.

"We would like to keep a presence in that area," Tandal said.

Police had been renting the 1,500-square-foot space at the Don Quijote Waipahu complex for the past 17 years. The police department was paying about $2,000 and on a month-to-month arrangement when it was asked to leave, Tandal said.

Meanwhile, police had been getting a 700-square-foot rent-free space at the Gentry Waipi'o Shopping Center for about 10 years, the major said. It was asked to move by the shopping center's new owners.

In the case of the Don Quijote location, "they just sent us a letter asking us to leave," Tandal said. "I think they have another tenant coming in. I think it's a money thing."

Tandal said she understands the landlords of the Gentry Waipi'o Shopping Center also asked for the space back for similar reasons.

Representatives for both properties did not return calls yesterday.

Police have been looking at several replacement properties in the downtown Waipahu area, Tandal said. "We won't have two probably, we'll probably just have one."

The substations weren't staffed regularly but provided desks, chairs, computers and other equipment that allow beat officers to write reports, as well as use restrooms.

Similar arrangements exist elsewhere around the island, including commercial areas in 'Ewa, Pearlridge and Waimalu.

Sgt. Aaron Farias of the Waipahu Weed & Seed Area project, considers the loss of the Don Quijote location particularly detrimental.

The shopping center is within a "weed and seed" drug enforcement site which includes the so-called "Pupu Streets" neighborhood that has frequently been identified as an area in need of monitoring and law enforcement activity, Farias said.

"We've got to keep the visibility in the target area and give the community a greater access to us," Farias said. "It was designated because there were problems. And now we still want to maintain those efforts."

Richard Oshiro, chairman of the Waipahu Neighborhood Board, called the loss of the Don Quijote site a major impact on the community. "By its closure, we're losing a visibility and presence that was reassuring for people," he said.

"Now that we don't have it, the closest presence is in Pearl City," Oshiro said.

Marty Burke, president of the Gentry Waipi'o Community Association, said his board is also disappointed to see police leaving the heavily trafficked Gentry Waipi'o Shopping Center.

"Visible police presence is a deterrent to crime," said Burke, also a Waipahu Neighborhood Board member. "When people see them in the neighborhood, it kind has a psychological impact."

Burke said while he understands the need for shopping centers to maximize profit, he believes there is also a mutual benefit by having a police substation in a commercial complex.

Area City Councilman Nestor Garcia also was unhappy that both landowners chose to ask police to leave.

"I'm disappointed that profit had to take a front seat to public safety," Garcia said. "They're in the business of making money, I understand that. But as someone who wants to be a good corporate citizens, I would hope that they had taken that into consideration when they made their decision."

Garcia said he's worried that police may have a hard time finding a replacement site, noting that the city has been trying to secure a new Waipahu satellite city hall since the old one shut down four years ago.

Police partner with the Waipahu Community Association on the Waipahu Weed & Seed project.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.