Hawaii Island saw two crime trends drop while two others climbed during September, members of the Hawaii County Police Commission learned Friday.
In Area I, which covers the windward side of the island, the number of car break-ins has dropped precipitously, said Hawaii Police Department Maj. Randy K. Apele, who heads the department’s Area I Operations Bureau.
In August, there were 55 incidents, he said, and 36 in September. He attributed the decline to the arrest of several people.
In Area II, which covers most of the leeward side of the island, Assistant Chief Marshall Kanehailua said they’ve seen a drop in car thefts. However, there has been an increase in burglaries and vehicle break-ins.
As of Sept. 30, there have been 2,589 serious crimes reported on the island this year, Deputy Chief Paul Ferreira said when presenting the chief’s report, which gives the account of incidents and police activity across the island. The majority of the crimes were thefts (1,655), followed by 289 aggravated assaults and 272 burglaries.
Of the more than 2,500 serious crimes, the department’s Criminal Investigations units investigated 540 cases, with 349 in Area I and 191 in Area II.
The investigators have cleared a total of 228 cases this year. Clearance means a person is arrested, or an exceptional circumstance occurs, like the death of the suspect.
Investigators saw the most success in clearing murder cases, solving three cases when just two were reported this year. The lowest clearance rate was recorded in burglary cases, where just 23 of was 224 were cleared.
There were 9,464 calls for service in September, of which 3,147 were criminal or traffic related. That brings the year-to-date number to 27,911 calls, with 9,112 for criminal or traffic reasons. The remaining calls were for personal service, beat and building checks, alarms, and other actions.
Police Commissioner John Bertsch noted an increase in violations reported in the Kona District, which comprises both North and South Kona. In total, there were 1,987 citations issued in September. The next highest was 839 in South Hilo.
Maj. Mitchell Kanehailua said that several issues combine to create Kona’s historically high numbers. One is that its two districts operating together. Another is that the district’s limited road network provides fewer paths for drivers, he said. The district has also worked hard to gain and maintain federal grant money for enforcement efforts.
And recently they have seen an influx of newer officers.
“For better or worse, new officers tend to write more citations than more seasoned officers,” he said.
As a whole, the island saw 5,709 citations issued in September, 3,611 of them for regulatory violations.
The commission’s next meeting will be 9 a.m. Nov. 20 in the Puna Conference Room of the Hawaii County building in Hilo.
