Kokua Line June Watanabe

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Witnesses can draw line
on identification

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Question: I work as a security guard and had to be a witness to something that happened at the building where I work. I gave the police officer in charge my Hawaii state ID number for identification purposes, but he asked me to give my Social Security number and date of birth. Is this something I needed to do, or could I just have given him my state ID number? I don't wish to give out my Social Security number unless I absolutely have to, because of all the cases of identity theft these days.

Answer: As a witness to or someone reporting a crime, you are not required to provide your Social Security number or birth date.

Officers will ask for such information for identification purposes because it's a reliable way to identify people, especially in instances of common names. But it is not mandatory, said Honolulu police Lt. Jerry Inouye.

"Now that people are more aware and more conscious of identity theft, they are understandably not going to be as willing to give out Social Security numbers, and we understand that," he said. "So it is not mandatory at all. They can refuse to give that."

Essentially, people reporting a crime or witnesses may give as much or as little information as they want to, Inouye said. However, contact information -- phone numbers and addresses -- are important in the event a case goes to court, he said.

If you are a suspect, that's another matter.

"In those cases, we want to be able to positively identify a person so that we're not arresting the wrong person," Inouye said. "Suspects are required to give us all the information that we ask for."

Inouye also pointed out that if you are involved in a motor vehicle collision, the law requires you to provide your name, address, motor vehicle registration and driver's license.

In the past, Hawaii used Social Security numbers for driver's license numbers; if that's still the case for some people, then they have to provide whatever license number is used, he said.

Since Jan. 1, 2001, Hawaii driver's licenses feature computer-generated random numbers.

Mahalo

To the good Samaritan at Longs Drugs in Wahiawa on Sunday, Feb. 29. As I was leaving the store, on my birthday of all days, I accidentally dropped my wallet. A man in line behind me noticed another man pick it up and quickly leave the store. The good Samaritan ran out to my car and knocked on my window to tell me what happened. I was able to chase down the man and get my wallet back with nothing missing. It's nice to know there are still some good people out there, because without the help of the nice stranger at Longs, I would never have seen my wallet again ... and what a birthday that would've been! -- Bryon Torres, Wahiawa

For readers wondering, because the man who picked up the wallet did not put up a fight and gave back the money and wallet, Bryon was satisfied and willing to focus on the good guy and "the happy ending."

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Useful phone numbers

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