"We've changed procedures since (the burglary)," city spokeswoman Carol Costa said.

She declined to discuss details for security reasons.

Burglars stole $31,000 in cash and $69,000 in checks from an office safe after breaking into the satellite city hall at 1287 Kalani St. on June 30.

Two days worth of receipts had been placed in the safe for the weekend after an accounting error was discovered on the Friday before the break-in, Costa said. Except for a $5,000 deductible, the loss was covered by the city's theft insurance policy, Costa added.

The method of operation was reminiscent of an early 1990s safe-burglary ring busted by police that featured a number of specialists, including an expert at disarming alarms.

The break-in occurred on a Sunday about 3:40 a.m. and was not discovered until a cleaning crew reported to work the following day.

The burglars cut the telephone and computer lines leading to the building at a nearby utility pole, disarmed the alarm and entered by prying the front door open.

"There's quite a bit of professionalism involved," Costa said.

"The alarm may have gone off, and we're trying to get clarification as to why Alert Alarm (of Hawaii) did not respond if it did."

The security video system was also neutralized.

There were signs of forced entry into the safe, Kalihi police Lt. James Nobrega said.

Nothing other than cash and checks was stolen.

Repair of the computer and telephone lines forced the satellite city hall to close for 1-1/2 days, Costa said.