Question: On many occasions, I have observed completely uniformed police officers in places like the supermarket, the bank, the post office, etc., conducting apparently personal business. Is this condoned by the Honolulu Police Department? Aren't uniformed officers on “;company time”;?

Answer: Not all officers in uniform are “;on company time,”; but even when they are, they are allowed to take breaks.

Many of them have work schedules with a designated lunch period, during which they are considered off-duty, said Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu.

During that period, they may take care of personal business, as long as it does not conflict with departmental policy or procedures, she said.

There also are officers who do not have a designated lunch period.

These officers may run brief errands, but are required to monitor radio transmissions, be ready to respond to service calls, and remain within their assigned work area, Yu said.

Consider also that an officer may be in uniform, but not on duty, such as when he or she is going to or from work.

Question: Is there a city ordinance that requires chickens to be cooped up in a residential neighborhood in the city? If so, whom do we call to ensure that that flock of chickens (rooster, mother hen and eight adolescent chicks) are contained in the renters' yard? These chickens have not only become a neighborhood nuisance, but have now become destructive pests, destroying flower beds, digging up dirt, and making a general mess looking for bugs and worms. The renters live on Haleola Street in Niu Valley.

Answer: Call Royos Farming, which has the city contract to deal with noisy and/or nuisance chickens and roosters, at 841-2384.

Under the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu dealing with “;animal nuisances”; (Section 7-2), the number of chickens or peafowl is limited to two per household.

“;You need to keep them clean, quiet and confined,”; according to Beth, who answered the phone at Royos Farming. “;They're supposed to stay on their property.”;

Royos Farming will send someone to talk to the owners “;to let them know they need to confine their chickens and keep them in their yard.”;

Question: I would like to know whether I can also register my cell phone on the National Do Not Call Registry. I have received a couple of telemarketing calls and seem to remember reading something about registering my cell phone before April or else I will be charged $15 every time I receive a telemarketing call.

Answer: You can register both landline phones and cell phones online at www.DoNotCall.gov or by calling, toll-free, 1-888-382-1222 from the number you wish to register.

Registration is free and there is no deadline to meet.

Registering cell phones has been an option since the national registry opened in 2003.

Alarmist e-mails warning that you have to register cell phones by a certain date or be subjected to telemarketing pitches and charges have been circulating for more than five years (see archives.starbulletin.com/2006/01/17/news/kokualine.html).

The Federal Communications Commission says its regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phones.

Write to ”;Kokua Line”; at Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).