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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Water taker could face trespassing rap
Question: Is there a law against people going onto someone else's property and taking water from their outdoor faucet? If I were to videotape or photograph someone doing that, will police do something about it?
Answer: A person going onto your property and taking water without permission could face both trespassing and theft charges, according to Maj. Frank Fujii, spokesman for the Honolulu Police Department.
However, it would be "very hard to prove the value" of the water theft, he said, so it would be more likely that the person would be arrested for trespassing, he said.
If this is a chronic problem, Fujii suggested calling the district police station for your neighborhood (numbers are listed in the telephone directories). HPD has community policing teams that could help address your problem.
Having evidence, such as a videotape or photograph, would help in at least making a trespassing case, Fujii said. He also said it would make your case stronger if you had "no trespassing" signs posted, especially if you don't have a fence or any other kind of boundary marker.
Having said all that, Fujii added that any problems might be resolved if you could figure out who the person is who is taking your water and, if it's not someone who is a threat or an actual thief — i.e., it's someone who just wants a drink of water — you could make it available as a goodwill gesture.
But you can talk to someone from a community policing team to get more advice.
Q: While the new concourse at Ala Moana Center on the mall level is very attractive, center personnel continue to block off one or the other cross lane, forcing vehicles to go around the whole far length of the center. Why can't they simply stop traffic for pedestrians, then let cars go or install a light system like Pearlridge Center? It is very frustrating to have to turn our cars around or be directed out of the center altogether.
A: For now, you can drive only one way on the mall level to get all the way from one end of Ala Moana Center to the other and that's heading toward Diamond Head.
As a temporary measure, a security guard is posted to control both vehicular and pedestrian traffic in that large pedestrian crossing area to get to and from the Nordstrom wing, said Dwight Yoshimura, senior vice president for General Growth Properties, owner of Ala Moana Center. The concern is for pedestrian safety.
"A traffic light is one of the possible solutions we are looking at," he said.
Auwe
Last week, a homeless person went into a neighbor's yard and stole half a large onion bag of mangoes. He comes whenever the trees are fruiting and has been seen carrying bags of fruit from Nuuanu to Liliha. He's been selling them in Chinatown for years. Isn't anyone curious as to where he gets the fruit? If you are missing fruit from your trees, they are in Chinatown. —
Liz
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