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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Police officer’s citation notes available on request
Question: I have a court date for a speeding violation and would like to obtain the officer's notes. I've looked at various Web sites that say defendants may ask for such notes and, in "legal" terms, it's called "discovery." Whom do I contact?
Answer: Send a letter requesting the notes to the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
Be sure to provide all the pertinent details, including citation number, date and time of the offense, etc., said Capt. Frank Fujii, spokesman for the Honolulu Police Department.
For moving violations, there is space in the back of a citation where officers can write notes about the incident. "That part is filled out after a citation is issued," Fujii said.
The notes are meant to document the incident so that the officer "has something official he or she can refer to when they go to court," Fujii explained. The notes also serve as an official document for the court -- "basically a very short summary of what transpired."
The alleged violator receives a copy of the citation, while the original is sent to the prosecutor's office.
Q: I understand that we can place a freeze on our credit report and that the Legislature approved that. How does one do so?
A: As of July 1 any Hawaii resident can place a security freeze on reports on file with the three major credit reporting agencies. The original law, which took effect Jan. 1, limited the security freeze to victims of identity theft.
Hawaii is now one of 39 states, plus the District of Columbia, that allow such security freezes.
Chapter 489P of the Hawaii Revised Statutes prohibits the credit reporting agencies from releasing any information without authorization from the consumer.
That means a potential creditor or business cannot check your credit without your OK, thus stymieing a potential identity thief from opening an account in your name. You would be able to temporarily lift the freeze any time you wanted to apply for credit or services.
Victims of identity theft can place a security freeze for free; everyone else has to pay a $5 fee per freeze. When requesting a free freeze, victims of identity theft have to attach a copy of a police or investigative report.
Find out how to request a freeze on the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Web site -- www.hawaii.gov/dcca/quicklinks/id_theft_info/new_security_freeze.
A credit reporting agency has to place a freeze on a consumer's report no later than five days after receiving a written request, then send written confirmation within 10 business days of placing the freeze.
The agency also has to provide a personal identification number or password to allow consumers to override the freeze and allow access by authorized parties.
The three agencies are TransUnion, www.transunion.com or (800) 680-7289; Experian, www.experian.com or (888) 397-3742; and Equifax, www.equifax.com.
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com.
See also: Useful phone numbers