Pilot project
aims to cut
auto theftsThe program attempts
to keep thieves in jail
while awaiting trial
Pearl City police are hoping to put the brakes on auto theft with a pilot program that aims to keep the thieves off the streets.
Basically, police will attempt to fast-track charges for every person arrested for auto theft in District 3, which includes Red Hill, Pearl City, Waipahu and Village Park, so that the suspects stay behind bars pending trial.
Pearl City police officials think the pilot project, which began July 1, is a good idea and hope it works.
"Anyone arrested for auto theft will be processed for immediate charges," said Pearl City Maj. Douglas Miller. "That means a Criminal Investigation Division detective will come out and take over the case."
He added: "In the past there's been a lot of frustration among the rank and file. Many times, the suspect is released while officers are still typing up the case, and he jumps right back on the street.
"And once they're on the street, they go back to doing the same thing that got them into trouble in the first place."
Miller said District 3 was chosen for the pilot project because the area has the most auto thefts on Oahu. District 3 had 1,211 auto thefts in 2000, 1,188 in 2001 and 1,841 in 2002.
And so far this year, the numbers show no sign of decreasing as District 3 once again leads the way with 591 auto thefts from January to May.
"They're still up there, still no downturn from last year," Miller said. "Last year was horrible.
"So, because of that problem ... we've decided to try something innovative, try and see if it'll have an impact in the Pearl City District."
In the past, Pearl City police have cited a number of reasons for the high number of auto thefts in the area.
Those reasons include a number of quick getaway routes for thieves who steal cars in the area -- they have access to the H-1, H-2 and H-3 freeways, along with Farrington and Kamehameha highways.
State public defender Jack Tonaki estimated that of all the property crime cases his department handles, auto thefts make up roughly 10 percent.
"We don't keep statistics, but we know they do make up a significant amount of our cases," Tonaki said.
He said had not heard of the Pearl City project, but noted that it sounded like a partial solution.
"They're still going to need enough evidence to proceed in the case," Tonaki said.
"They can say we suspect this guy is stealing cars, but if they don't have enough evidence to back it up, the case will get thrown out and they won't be able to proceed."
Miller said Honolulu police have the approval of the city prosecutor's office for the project. However, he noted that the key to success will be convincing the Judiciary that auto theft offenders are serious threats to the community who need to be kept off the streets pending trial.
"Hopefully, we can get judges to set meaningful bail amounts, but we'll see how that plays out," Miller said. "We're trying to improve the system in getting auto thieves accountable for their crimes."
Miller said he did not have any statistics to show whether the project has made a difference yet.
CID detectives who are assigned to auto thefts also said they have not noticed any difference in the number of cases from the Pearl City area.
Overall this year, there were 3,459 auto thefts on Oahu reported from January to May. Last year, Oahu had the most auto thefts ever with 8,488, an increase of 52 percent over the year before.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
