Hāmākua Coast Crime Report: January 2018

Hawai‘i Police Department’s Hāmākua Coast Community Police responded to five thefts, two burglaries, three criminal property damage incidents and two drug-related incidents in January 2018.

There were no vehicle thefts, or assaults or robberies reported in this time frame.

The complete list of locations and incident details are as follows:

5 THEFTS

1. At a residence located on Laupahoehoe Point Road, the victim reported that unknown suspect(s) removed a red Shindaiwa 250 weed whacker valued at $300 and an unknown brand red weed whacker belonging to his tenant. Both weed whackers were leaning on the side of the residence. A connect up theft investigation was initiated for the tenant’s weed whacker.
2. At a residence on Miulana Street in Honoka‘a, four checks were taken without permission.
3. At a residence on Old Māmalahoa Highway in Honoka‘a, an unknown suspect removed a wooden ladder from the fence line of the property without permission.
4. At a business in Honoka‘a, there was a dispute between owners of a ranch where one owner sold livestock in his name and not under the business name, depriving the business of revenue. Total value of the livestock sold is $7,200.
5. At a privately owned agricultural land near Astro Lane in Honoka‘a, unknown suspect removed a surveillance camera without permission.

2 BURGLARIES

1. At a rental residence located on Hawai‘i Belt Road near the 21-mile marker in Ninole, an unknown suspect entered a vacant residence under renovation and removed a bottle of Lysol cleaner, a Swiffer sweeper/floor mop and a hose for a Shop Vac vacuum.
2. At a business in Pa‘auilo, unknown suspect(s) entered an unlocked building and removed equipment and parts.

3 CRIMINAL PROPERTY DAMAGE INCIDENTS

1. At a business on Pakalana Street in Honoka‘a, unknown suspects made a 10-inch scratch on the side of a sedan that was parked and unattended in the parking lot. The estimated value of damage is $100.
2. At a farm in Waipio Valley, a 67-year-old man reported after being threatened, that a 39-year-old man used an ATV to damage his entry gate to his farm. The estimated value of damage is $150.
3. At a business on Pakalana Street in Honoka‘a, unknown suspect(s) damaged the door stop, drywall and graffiti to the restrooms. The estimate value of repair is $40.

2 DRUG-RELATED INCIDENTS

1. Near a business on Kalopa Road in Honoka‘a, a black duffle bag with a container holding 42 grams of marijuana was turned into the Honoka‘a Police station.
2. At a business on Pakalana Street in Honoka‘a, a 15-year-old male was arrested and charged for possession of black tar concentrate that tested positive for marijuana.

4 VEHICLE BREAK-INS

1. Near a residence on Lokelani Street in Honoka‘a, a 26-year-old woman reported that while she was asleep in the front seat of her vehicle, an unknown suspect entered her vehicle and removed two cell phones valued at $300.
2. In a vehicle that was parked and unattended fronting a business on Mamane Street in Honoka‘a, a 65-year-old man reported that several items were removed from his vehicle that he inadvertently forgot to lock. Items removed include a garage door opener, sunglasses, and a set of keys.
3. Fronting a residence on Puakala Street in Honoka‘a, a 44-year-old woman reported unknown suspect(s) entered her vehicle, which was unlocked, parked and unattended. Items removed include an e-cigarette, a phone charger, a portable speaker and sunglasses.
4. On Highway 19 and Mud Lane in Honoka‘a, a 42-year-old woman reported that unknown suspect(s) broke the right front passenger window to her Toyota Tacoma truck that was parked and unattended, removing her purse containing $200 cash.

SCAM ALERT

Hawaiʻi Island police are warning the public about scams involving phone calls to Hawaiʻi residents.

The tax season is here again. There have been a rash of phone scams that have been reported this past year and the most recent scam is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) phone scam.

The call usually comes in between 4 and 5 a.m. in the morning where the caller identifies themselves as a representative of the IRS. The caller identification (ID) on your phone usually comes from a number that may say IRS to support the call. The caller then informs you of an outstanding balance owed to the IRS and asks you to make a payment of whatever you can afford to avoid being arrested and driver’s or business licenses suspended. They sometimes become aggressive on the phone and also insulting.

If the call is received, do not give any information to the caller. The IRS wouldn’t give you a call if you owed money, it would be in the form of a letter from the IRS.

The IRS also informs that they do not ask for personal information including the last four digits of your Social Security Number, account numbers or pin numbers.  Some of the other characteristics for the call include being asked to make a payment using a pre-paid card (Green Dot Card from Walgreens) or wire transfer (Western Union). If you think this may be a scam you can call Tax Fraud Hotline at 1-(800) 829-0433 or visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov under “How do you report suspected tax fraud activity?”

If you see suspicious persons and or activity, don’t hesitate to report it to the police. The police non-emergency number (808) 935-3311 or 9-1-1 for emergencies.

SAFE DRIVING REMINDER FROM HPD

Hawaiʻi Island police are reminding motorists about the dangers of speeding, disregarding stop signs, disregarding red lights and flashing pedestrian lights while in a school zone.

Children and school crossing guards have encountered numerous “near misses” during morning and afternoon hours in crosswalks fronting elementary schools islandwide.

School crossing guards are present at most elementary schools to assist with the safe crossing of children and are trained to temporarily hold traffic until all children have completely crossed the roadway.

Sgt. Robert Pauole of the Traffic Services Section suggests motorists adjust their morning by 10 to 15 minutes to allow ample time for safe travel.

VEHICLE BREAK-IN PREVENTION TIPS

The HPD suggests a few ways to lower your chance of becoming a victim of vehicle break-ins.

• Park in well lit areas whenever possible.
• Make sure to roll up your windows and lock your vehicle doors.
• Remove any items of value from your vehicle.
• If you must leave valuable items in your vehicle place them out of view.

With these simple suggestions you will lower your chances of becoming a victim of theft and remember if you see suspicious activity call the police non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311 or 9-1-1 for emergencies.

BURGLARY PREVENTION TIPS

• Lock your doors and windows when you leave home.
• When you are on vacation try not to post pictures on social media until you return home.
• Become familiar with your neighbors and their vehicles.
• Be aware of strangers walking or driving around in your neighborhood. Burglars may be checking to see if your house is unoccupied.
• Keep trees and bushes trimmed to they don’t provide cover for burglars.
  Install motion sensor lights.
• Install an alarm system and or surveillance cameras.
• Be vigilant, don’t give criminals an opportunity to commit crimes.
• If you see suspicious persons and or activity, don’t hesitate to report it to the police.

If you see suspicious persons and or activity, don’t hesitate to report it to the police.

Hāmākua Station
45-3400 Mamane St.
Honoka’a, HI
(808) 775-7533

Laupahoehoe Station
36-2283 Old Māmalahoa Highway
Laupahoehoe, HI
(808) 962-2120

Crime Stoppers
(808) 961-8300

Police Non-Emergency
(808) 935-3311

CALL 9-1-1 FOR EMERGENCIES

The Importance of Neighborhood Watches; Block Captains Wanted

A neighborhood watch is an organized group of civilians devoted to crime and vandalism prevention within the neighborhood. The goal of the neighborhood watch is to educate the residents of a community on security and safety to achieve safe and secure neighborhoods. When suspicious activity is suspected, members are encouraged to call and report this activity.

Why is there a need for this partnership? With a limited amount of officers working per shift and with the task of having to cover from Umauma to Lake Land, having neighborhood watches provides more eyes and ears in the community to report and prevent suspicious activity.

How do you start a neighborhood watch? There are Five Steps to start a Neighborhood Watch:

1. Recruit/organize as many neighbors as possible.
2. Contact your area Community Police Officer to schedule a meeting.
3. Discuss community concerns and develop an action plan.
4. Hold regular meetings and train members on relevant skills.
5. Implement a phone tree and take action.

Those interested in forming a neighborhood watch in your area should contact the community police officer for your area.

Hāmākua Coast Community Police are looking for those who are interested in being a block captain in the Laupahoehoe and Ahualoa Neighborhood Watch areas. Contact your area community police officer or Neighborhood Watch Coordinators.

Officer John KARI for the Honoka‘a Area, Honoka‘a Station (808) 775-7533

Officer Joseph ROCHA for the North Hilo Area, North Hilo Station (808) 962-2120

A nuclear attack preparedness guide can be found online at the HI-EMA website.

RELATED LINK
Hāmākua Coast Crime Report: December 2017