Kokua Line
By June Watanabe
Thursday, October 15, 1998
Kokua Line
About a month ago, my side-by-side double stroller got stolen from our garage. There have been a great number of thefts in our neighborhood lately -- from tools to clothes. How can we get the police department to do the patrols they once did? I know it's quiet up by Gardenia Street, but can't they do their job? Also, who may I write to in order to put in a complaint? Area residents can help
police combat crimeContact the Honolulu Police Department's District 7, which covers the area from Manoa to Hawaii Kai, 529-3362.
But officers were aware of your complaint and working with residents. There also were plans to run a plainclothes bike detail to watch for suspicious activity.
The Gardenia Street area actually is not a hotbed of crime, said police Sgt. Ken Tomita. In recent weeks, there were four reported thefts -- three car break-ins and the theft of a stroller, he said last week. Three of those thefts occurred the same day, which led police to suspect one culprit.
Contrary to your statement, police do regularly patrol your neighborhood, as they do the entire Palolo Valley, Tomita said.
But it's unrealistic to expect that police can be around all the time, so they try to get people to be alert to what's going on around them. Tomita noted there are many older people in your neighborhood around during the day.
When he gave community talks about Neighborhood Security Watches, Tomita said, he told residents "we want them to be niele (nosy), but to be covert. Get a license number (for example), but don't be obvious and don't let them know you're doing that. Then call us."
The suspicions may be unwarranted, but then again, they may be confirmed, Tomita said.
When is an appropriate time to redeem U.S. savings bonds? I understand that there are two months in the year that it is beneficial to redeem them.
When we called the Federal Information Center's toll-free number -- 1-800-688-9889 -- the message regarding the buying or redeeming of savings bonds suggested contacting your local financial institution for answers.
However, when we called the toll-free number devoted to savings bonds -- 1-800-487-2663 -- we found an Internet Web site -- http://www.savingsbonds.gov -- which answered many of the common questions about savings bonds.
The best times to redeem your bond, for example, depend on when your interest is paid or when your bond increases in value.
Savings bonds issued before May 1, 1997, generally earn interest every six months. If your bond earns interest on Aug. 1 and Feb. 1, and you redeem or exchange it in July, you won't receive any interest for the previous five months.
Also, according to the government Web site: "It's also a good idea to cash and exchange bonds early in the month in which they increase in value or pay interest because interest accrues and is paid on the first day of the month."
To the city for cutting down two trees at the corner of Bougainville and Salt Lake Boulevard for the widening project. Those trees were well away from the road and there aren't very many trees in the area to begin with. With those huge walls, it's such a sterile environment. -- No name Auwe
To Sally of 17th Avenue for finding my driver's license at Kahala Mall and personally delivering it to my home. -- R. Lim Mahalo
To the lady in the white van who made an illegal U-turn on Kapiolani Boulevard near Mahiai Street at 1:50 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13. You set a very bad example for your daughter. -- No name Auwe
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com
