QUESTION: How can I get a copy of a police report about a traffic accident?

ANSWER: You have to be the owner of the motor vehicle involved in the accident, an injured party or an insurance company.

“;Motor vehicle collision reports, commonly called 'accident reports,' are only releasable to the involved parties,”; said Maj. Kurt Kendro, head of the Honolulu Police Department's Records and Identification Division.

If a collision investigation is ongoing, you may be given only the part of the report containing information required for insurance purposes, he said.

Kendro said police reports for closed cases may be releasable.

“;If a case is still open, the requester may be provided with a letter of verification to confirm that a police report has been made,”; he said.

A “;nominal processing fee”; is charged for reports and letters, depending on the request and number of pages involved.

You may request a police report by going to HPD's Records and Identification Division, 801 S. Beretania St., or by submitting a written request. You may also call the Records Division at 529-3271 to see whether the report is available or releasable and the cost of the report.

Meanwhile, Kendro said traffic abstracts are available from District Court, while criminal conviction records are available from the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center. See hsblinks.com/131 for information on obtaining a “;traffic abstract,”; which shows all alleged motor vehicle moving violations but not parking and equipment violations.

You can also obtain a “;traffic report,”; which contains all traffic violations, including parking and equipment violations.

To find out how to get a copy of someone's criminal history—the “;police abstract”; or “;rap sheet”;—go to hsblinks.com/132. Arrest records for someone convicted of a crime are public record.

More Ant Baits

Our column of Oct. 15 (hsblinks.com/13h), which provided a simple homemade recipe to get rid of ants, prompted two readers to share their remedies:

» Frank Sansone said the boric acid bait recipe provided by state insect taxonomist Bernarr Kumashiro has “;worked exceptionally well”; at his house in getting rid of sugar-loving ants. However, not so much for “;so-called oil-loving ants.”;

“;After some experimenting, I developed a simple recipe for an oil-based boric acid bait for ants that aren't interested in the sugar bait,”; Sansone said. His recipe: Melt one-eighth cup of brie cheese (with the white outer rind removed) in a microwave oven at medium-low power for about 45 seconds. Pour the resulting oil in a small sealable container and mix in a quarter-teaspoon boric acid. After the mixture cools and hardens, place a small amount in a small open container where the ants are active. The extra bait can be stored in a refrigerator for later use.

“;This bait has made our house much more pleasant after months of dealing with stings from these pesky insects,”; Sansone said.

» “;MM from San Rafael,”; Calif., said her family had a problem with ants at the front door, as well as on the walls in the kitchen and bathroom. Their solution: spraying the ants and their trails with liquid antibacterial dishwashing soap. “;This seem to eliminate the problem. Haven't been bothered since.”;