---

No change in police
presence on Oahu
roads

---

Question: Prior to the last police chief, I used to observe numerous police vehicles on our highways, both official police cars and private police cars with blue lights. Also, there were motorcycles at various locations of the highways, targeting reckless and speeding drivers. Seems like the only time I see many motorcycles are during the various parades and during escort of dignitaries. Many other drivers also state this same situation.

Answer: A spokeswoman for the Honolulu Police Department said there's been "no change of focus under the new chief," Boisse Correa.

From "time to time" over the years, people have leveled similar complaints, according to spokeswoman Michelle Yu. But, generally, that perception is not the reality, she said.

Correa succeeded Lee Donohue as HPD's chief on Aug. 27. No statistics were readily available for the period since Correa took over, but Yu said there hasn't been any shift in personnel assigned to patrol and solo bike duties.

Already, speeding citations so far this year are significantly higher than last year.

Yu said that from January through August of this year, police issued 21,137 speeding tickets, 17 percent more than during the same period last year, when 18,045 speeding citations were recorded. That's for both patrol and solo bike officers, she said.

Although there were no figures available, she said solo bike officers alone have made 50 percent more DUI arrests so far this year, compared with last year.

Mahalo

To Tracy, who works at Papa John's Pizza on Vineyard Boulevard. On Friday afternoon, Oct. 8, I was walking out to the parking lot of a friend's apartment when it started to rain hard. I stepped on a painted area, and my foot slid out from under me, causing me to start to fall.

Tracy, who was walking behind me, dropped everything she was carrying and caught me before I could land on the hard concrete. She convinced me to let her help me to an area with some cover, but not before putting her jacket over me to keep the rain off.

After we got to a sheltered area, she went to her car and came back with an ice pack and an Ace bandage, since my ankle was swollen. After wrapping my ankle and making certain the pack was on my ankle, she waited until my husband arrived and we went to the hospital.

It was as she was going to her car that I noticed she had a leg brace on and could have easily suffered a fall on the same wet painted surface, yet she was more concerned about keeping me from falling and breaking my brittle bones! What a special person this is. And, she called the hospital to check on me later that night to see if we needed anything.

I wrote to Papa John's to tell them of their extraordinary employee, but kind deeds like this should be published. Tracy went well above anything I have ever seen and was too modest when my husband praised her. I did not get her last name, but want to thank her for making sure I was safe, dry and sound! -- H. Metzger

|

---

---