No 9 Waikīkī Neighborhood Board Public Safety Committee Meeting July 2026
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9 Waikiki Neighborhood Board Meeting – September 21, 2026
Meeting Status and Public Safety Focus
The Waikīkī Neighborhood Board Public Safety Committee began without a quorum, so it could not formally call the meeting to order or conduct committee business, but it proceeded with informational presentations scheduled for the 6:00–7:30 p.m. session. Participants included committee chair Tim Hike, board and committee members, Waikīkī residents, Waikīkī Business Improvement District and Improvement Association President Trevor Abrizua, Honolulu Police Department District 6 Major Okamoto and Captain Mason Toma, and Christine Denton, special counsel to the Honolulu prosecuting attorney. The principal purpose was to receive an update from the Prosecutor’s Office and examine how cases move from arrest through prosecution, adjudication, corrections, and possible treatment or diversion. Attendees were advised that Denton could not discuss pending cases, potential cases, or confidential prosecutorial strategies. The committee hopes to invite a judiciary representative to a future meeting as the next step in reviewing the criminal justice process.
Safe and Sound Crime-Reduction Strategy
Denton reviewed the origins of Waikīkī’s Safe and Sound initiative. During his 2020 campaign, Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm promised to bring the Weed and Seed model to Waikīkī; the local program was launched under the Safe and Sound name in approximately September 2022. The strategy is intended to reduce neighborhood crime, drug activity, poverty, and related quality-of-life problems, then support the return of services and community programming. It follows the model previously used in Chinatown, Kalihi-Pālama, ʻEwa, ʻEwa Beach, and Waipahu, with a newer West Oʻahu site covering Kahe Point to Kaʻena Point. Safe and Sound operates as a partnership between the Prosecutor’s Office and HPD, with agreements that may address charging practices, bail requests, geographic restrictions, and the handling of custody cases. Denton stressed that prosecutors could not immediately charge every custody case because of staffing, evidentiary, court, and police cellblock limitations.
Coordinated Enforcement at Diamond Head and the Ala Wai
Homelessness was described as a central public safety issue in Waikīkī and across Oʻahu. The Prosecutor’s Office and HPD participate in the mayor’s weekly homelessness task force meetings and have worked with city and state agencies on coordinated enforcement. Denton identified the clearing of encampments around Diamond Head as an early example of a more enforcement-oriented approach. Because one side of the roadway involved state property and the other city property, state and city authorities had to act together to prevent people from merely moving across the street. A similar coordinated effort was later used around the Ala Wai, including the installation of legally sufficient signs. The Prosecutor’s Office does not conduct field clearances, but it prepares for possible increases in arrests, ensures staffing is available to review cases, and alerts District and Circuit Courts when additional in-custody defendants may enter the system.
Arrest Standards, Charging Standards, and Case Preparation
Denton explained the distinction between HPD’s basis for an arrest or citation and the standard prosecutors must apply when filing a criminal charge. Police generally act on probable cause, while prosecutors must determine that admissible evidence can prove every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutors have an ethical duty not to charge cases they cannot prove; violations can lead to professional discipline, loss of employment, or loss of a law license. This distinction helps explain why repeated arrests do not automatically produce convictions. Denton said collaboration between conferring deputies, patrol officers, and detectives has improved the quality and speed of cases, with relatively few cases requiring further investigation and many custody matters being completed within the applicable 48-hour period. She reported that 47 habitual-property-crime cases had been referred to the office and 45 were charged.
Geographic Restrictions and Prosecutorial Requests
The Prosecutor’s Office reported active geographic restrictions associated with 118 misdemeanor cases, 167 domestic-violence misdemeanor cases, and 343 felony cases. Denton said deputies, clerks, and other staff throughout the office are trained on Safe and Sound and Weed and Seed procedures so that the necessary paperwork is ready when prosecutors ask a judge to restrict a defendant from returning to a designated area such as Waikīkī. A geographic restriction generally requires the defendant to be placed on probation; if the person violates the restriction, prosecutors must return to court, seek revocation, and obtain the appropriate warrant. Circuit Court felony probation provides more supervision and resources than misdemeanor or petty-misdemeanor probation. Although prosecutors may request geographic restrictions, judges retain discretion over whether to grant them. One resident asserted that their use had declined by approximately 80 percent, but Denton responded that the Prosecutor’s Office continues to request restrictions and that questions about denials should be directed to the judiciary.
Misdemeanor Sentencing and Judicial Discretion
Much of the discussion concerned repeat misdemeanor and petty-misdemeanor offenders who return quickly to Waikīkī. A resident said that among more than 1,500 convictions reviewed, the median misdemeanor jail sentence was approximately two days, and argued that a small group of roughly 20 persistent offenders should receive sentences of 15 to 30 days. The resident characterized recurring trespassing, harassment, disorderly conduct, littering, theft, assault, and probation violations as a “death by a thousand cuts” for the neighborhood. Denton repeatedly clarified that prosecutors can make sentencing arguments but cannot control the court’s decision. Judges are part of a coequal branch of government and have discretion within statutory limits. She said prosecutors raise concerns in appropriate forums, including jail-diversion discussions, while respecting judicial independence and avoiding comments that might compromise pending or future cases. Committee members hope a judiciary representative can explain sentencing practices at a later meeting, although judges cannot discuss matters in ways that imply how they would rule in future cases.
Jail Capacity and Proposed Mandatory Consequences
A resident argued that lack of jail space should no longer prevent stronger misdemeanor sentences, reporting that the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center had approximately 70 open spaces during the prior week and had averaged about 50 openings during the year, compared with earlier periods when it was significantly over capacity. The resident proposed requiring the maximum 30-day petty-misdemeanor sentence after a specified number of convictions, such as a sixth conviction following five petty misdemeanors in 12 months. Denton noted that such a proposal would remove judicial discretion and require substantial statutory or penal-code changes. She also observed that Hawaiʻi recently completed a penal-code review and that another broad overhaul would be difficult. Participants discussed the possibility of building a political and legislative coalition around consequences for chronic lower-level offending, while acknowledging that changing sentencing law would be challenging.
Habitual Property and Violent Offender Laws
The committee reviewed Hawaiʻi’s habitual-offender statutes and the point at which repeated lower-level offenses can result in felony treatment. Denton read the habitual property-crime definition, under which a person may qualify based on convictions within ten years involving specified combinations of two felonies or misdemeanors, one felony or misdemeanor plus one petty misdemeanor, or three petty misdemeanors, provided the offenses fall within the covered property-crime chapter. Participants initially referred to a simpler “three convictions in five years” rule, but Denton’s statutory reading clarified that the actual qualification depends on the type, combination, timing, and classification of convictions. The habitual violent crime statute, recently extended for another five years, covers specified offenses such as third-degree assault, second-degree assault against a law-enforcement officer, fourth-degree sexual assault, and abuse of a family or household member. Members asked whether Hawaiʻi could create a broader law combining different types of petty misdemeanors rather than limiting habitual treatment to separate property and violent-offense categories.
Examples of Repeat Offending and Probation Violations
Residents cited specific offenders to illustrate concerns about escalating criminal conduct and inconsistent consequences. One individual was described as having committed two assaults and a second-degree terroristic-threatening offense shortly after arriving in Waikīkī, eventually serving approximately 70 days in connection with one matter, followed later by a shorter sentence for another assault. Another person accused in a recent stabbing outside the Hard Rock Cafe reportedly had prior trespassing and theft convictions, repeated two-day sentences, multiple probation terms, and a geographic restriction; according to the account, he had four active probation cases when the stabbing occurred. These examples were offered to argue that misdemeanor probation violations are not being addressed quickly enough and that sentencing can appear to move backward despite repeated offenses. Denton cautioned that felony charges, sentencing, probation, and restrictions depend on the evidence, the applicable statute, and judicial decisions in each case.
Petty Misdemeanors and Quality-of-Life Offenses
Participants discussed the distinction between misdemeanors, petty misdemeanors, infractions, and civil or criminal violations. Common Waikīkī charges such as disorderly conduct, harassment, trespassing, certain shoplifting cases, and criminal littering may be petty misdemeanors depending on the statute. Criminal littering is difficult to enforce when officers must personally witness the conduct; one cited case resulted in community service, which the resident said the defendant failed to perform before later being arrested on a warrant and released. The committee discussed public defecation, public urination, noise, street disorder, and other recurring conduct that may not rise to felony severity but substantially affects residents, workers, businesses, and visitors. Members questioned whether Hawaiʻi should eliminate or narrow the petty-misdemeanor category or create cumulative consequences for chronic violations.
Felony Prosecution and Reduction in Chronic Offenders
Participants credited felony investigations and prosecutions with removing a significant number of persistent offenders from Waikīkī. One resident’s five-year tracking suggested there were approximately 135 fewer “troublemakers” in the area, with most departures attributed to felony arrests and prosecution; the resident also cited 28 people who may have left because the area became less accommodating, 19 who died, and approximately 11 who received help through services or other interventions. Denton emphasized that these results did not come from prosecutors alone, crediting HPD’s investigations, the Waikīkī Business Improvement District’s ambassadors, outreach organizations, and service providers. Committee members agreed that serious felony offending is being handled more effectively than in past years but remained focused on the gap between felony enforcement and persistent lower-level disorder.
Homelessness, Treatment, and Jail Diversion
Denton cautioned against treating the criminal justice system as the sole response to homelessness, substance use, and severe mental illness. Prosecutors are responsible for proving crimes and protecting victims, but they are not treatment providers. The Prosecutor’s Office is participating in two newer committees with the Department of Health, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division, treatment courts, and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to explore assessments in police cellblocks before arraignment. Under the developing concept, people already connected to Adult Mental Health services might be identified rapidly and diverted to caseworkers, while others could qualify for jail-diversion programs. The effort is still in preliminary development, including unresolved questions about how treatment participation would be monitored. Denton cited Miami as a model where early assessment and diversion have shown promise. Participants also discussed concerns that defense attorneys may object to treatment for pretrial detainees if it appears to presume guilt, although Denton said there is no general legal prohibition on a person receiving voluntary treatment while awaiting trial.
Street Medicine and Service Partnerships
The meeting recognized the work of Waikīkī Health, the Business Improvement District, and street-medicine providers in engaging unsheltered people. Denton specifically noted Dr. Chad Koyanagi’s work and recent recognition for street medicine. She said meaningful reductions in crime and disorder require coordinated participation by public health agencies, mental health providers, outreach workers, law enforcement, prosecutors, businesses, and neighborhood organizations. Weekly police reports reportedly show only about 12 to 14 homelessness-related citations in Waikīkī, compared with approximately 175 to 200 in Chinatown, which participants viewed as evidence that the visible street population and related violations have declined substantially. Several speakers said Waikīkī was cleaner and safer than it had been four to six years earlier, even though serious quality-of-life issues remain.
Police Staffing, Visibility, and Response Practices
District 6 was described as operating at roughly 69 percent staffing, part of a broader HPD shortage that limits foot patrols and proactive visibility. Residents said officers are often not visible late at night even when there is shouting, domestic conflict, traffic noise, sirens, and disorder. HPD explained that officers are frequently tied up responding to priority calls and that violent or potentially violent incidents require more than one officer for safety. Supervisors are nevertheless working to reduce unnecessary multi-officer responses to cold or routine calls so personnel can remain available elsewhere. The major described the goal of making police “omnipresent,” reassuring law-abiding people while discouraging offenders. Participants also questioned why officers often travel in several separate vehicles rather than sharing cars; HPD attributed this partly to Waikīkī’s compact patrol geography and the need for individual units to remain available, while acknowledging that hot calls can produce a visible procession of responding vehicles.
Community-Led Safety Improvements
The committee highlighted several examples in which letters and coordinated advocacy produced tangible results. Community requests helped secure private security at a McDonald’s that had become a gathering place for disorder and contributed to the removal of picnic tables associated with another recurring congregation point. Participants called both actions significant successes involving HPD, businesses, and community organizations. A continuing problem near a church was described as unresolved and a major attraction for problematic activity. The Waikīkī Business Improvement District has also donated all-terrain vehicles to HPD to improve police presence and mobility. Members asked the Prosecutor’s Office and HPD to identify other specific actions the committee could support through letters, legislation, public testimony, or coordination with property owners.
Nighttime Noise and Street Performers
Noise emerged as one of the neighborhood’s leading quality-of-life concerns. Residents and officials described loud mufflers, motorcycles, engine revving, drag racing, amplified street performances, drums, loudspeakers, shouting, and late-night activity affecting both residents and hotel guests. One participant estimated that a loud vehicle traveling between Chinatown and Waikīkī could disturb as many as 100,000 people. Denton, recalling a recent family stay in Waikīkī, said nighttime noise around 2:00 a.m. was markedly worse than she remembered. Councilmember Tommy Waters had introduced a city bill to regulate street performers, particularly amplified sound affecting nearby businesses and hotel rooms, although it had not yet received its first committee hearing. State lawmakers were also considering an urban noise measure tailored to jurisdictions with populations of at least 900,000, an approach intended to avoid opposition from legislators representing less urban communities. Participants also questioned whether Waikīkī’s special-district status could support area-specific noise rules, while others noted that existing ordinances may already be sufficient if consistently enforced.
Disorderly Conduct and the Need for a Complainant
The committee examined whether excessively loud conduct could be prosecuted as disorderly conduct. Hawaiʻi law defines unreasonable noise by considering the nature and purpose of the conduct, the location, the time of day or night, and whether the behavior grossly deviates from accepted standards. However, disorderly conduct generally requires evidence that a member of the public was alarmed or disturbed. Under established case law, an officer normally cannot serve as the victim because encountering disturbing behavior is considered part of police duties. As a result, a resident who calls 911 may need to meet with the officer, provide a statement, and remain available for prosecution. Participants argued that this requirement discourages enforcement at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. and suggested amending the law so an officer could cite unreasonable noise observed directly, in the same way officers enforce speeding or other on-view violations. The committee also discussed locating a model city ordinance from another jurisdiction that expressly permits officer-initiated unlawful-noise enforcement.
Muffler Violations, Decibel Standards, and Evidence
HPD and prosecutors distinguished disorderly conduct from muffler citations and other traffic or city-code violations. Officers may cite a vehicle for an unlawful or excessively loud muffler when they directly hear it, without relying on a disorderly-conduct complainant. Participants were uncertain whether the applicable muffler provision contains a numerical decibel limit; they noted that calibrated decibel standards exist for Department of Health construction enforcement and Liquor Commission matters but may not apply to general vehicle-noise violations. Previous attempts to train HPD officers to use decibel meters reportedly did not proceed. HPD warned that meter-based cases could require extensive testimony about officer training, device calibration, maintenance, and operating procedures, similar to challenges associated with laser speed-measuring equipment. Some participants responded that most citations are paid without trial and that the system could be reassessed only if contested cases exposed evidentiary problems.
Noise Cameras and Legislative Data Protections
A representative from Representative Adrian Tam’s office described a demonstration of roadside noise-camera technology. The cameras can measure vehicular sound, identify loud mufflers or music, and associate the event with an image of the vehicle. The pilot addresses the Prosecutor’s Office’s previous concern that vehicle-noise cases often lack calibrated, objective measurement. Similar systems have been used internationally and in some mainland jurisdictions. Legislation introduced by Representative Tam and Senator Sharon Moriwaki to make the program permanent and allow citations did not pass because of concerns about surveillance, data retention, and the sharing of information with law enforcement or other agencies. Representative Tam’s office has drafted revised legislation containing stronger data protections. The cameras are intended only for vehicle noise, not general street or building noise. Officials said motorcycle violations make up about 70 percent of the detected events, though nighttime plate visibility and the small rear plates on motorcycles remain enforcement considerations.
Drone First-Responder Program
HPD discussed a forthcoming drone-as-first-responder initiative expected to begin within the next several months. A drone could reach some scenes in approximately 30 seconds, show dispatchers whether an incident is still active, identify a fleeing suspect’s direction, and help determine whether fewer or additional officers are needed. The program could reduce unnecessary responses while improving situational awareness during violent events. Prosecutorial use of drone video will depend on evidentiary rules and Hawaiʻi privacy law. Officials said electronic public-notice signs are being developed to comply with Hawaiʻi Supreme Court case law. Participants acknowledged continuing public opposition to surveillance technology but viewed the pilot as a possible way to improve coverage while District 6 remains understaffed.
Mental Fitness and Penal Responsibility
The committee received an explanation of how mental illness affects prosecution. HPD generally does not decide at the scene whether a suspect is legally capable of forming criminal intent or participating in a defense. After charges are filed, a defense attorney, prosecutor, or judge may request a Chapter 704 evaluation if the defendant cannot understand the proceedings or communicate adequately with counsel. Court proceedings and speedy-trial time limits are then suspended while evaluators determine whether the person is fit to proceed and, when requested, whether the person was penally responsible at the time of the offense. Felony cases generally use a three-examiner panel, while misdemeanor and petty-misdemeanor cases commonly use one evaluator. A person found fit returns to the normal court process; someone found unfit may undergo treatment and repeated evaluation to determine whether fitness can be restored. Not everyone undergoing evaluation is immediately sent to the Hawaiʻi State Hospital. Denton said recent amendments to Chapter 704 have improved parts of this complex process.
Assaults Against Police Officers
Several participants expressed surprise that some assaults against law-enforcement officers can be misdemeanors rather than felonies. The grading depends on factors such as the defendant’s state of mind and the seriousness of the injury. A shove, minor physical contact, or conduct causing insignificant injury may be treated differently from an intentional act causing substantial pain or injury. Participants raised spitting as conduct they believed should carry stronger consequences and suggested that the Legislature review the statute. The discussion also noted that the habitual violent-offender law includes second-degree assault against a law-enforcement officer among its qualifying offenses, even though that underlying charge may be a misdemeanor.
Presence Requirements, Video, and On-View Violations
The committee discussed when an officer must personally observe a misdemeanor or petty misdemeanor before taking enforcement action. For offenses such as public urination, indecent exposure, noise, or vehicle violations, the applicable statute determines whether eyewitness testimony, a complainant’s report, photographs, or video are sufficient. A resident’s video can become evidence, but it does not automatically give an officer authority to arrest or cite for an offense the officer did not witness. By contrast, an officer who directly hears a loud muffler can issue the applicable muffler citation. This distinction reinforced interest in automated, calibrated camera systems and ordinances specifically authorizing officer-initiated noise enforcement.
Ala Wai Motorcycle and Drag-Racing Complaint
A resident of the Hawaiian Monarch, living on the 25th floor, reported worsening nighttime noise near the west end of the Ala Wai. He said he documented ten loud-noise events in one hour and possessed video and decibel readings. According to his account, motorcycles with modified or removed mufflers gather, rev engines, and race most often between midnight and 3:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, although the activity occurs throughout the week. The noise penetrates closed windows and silicone earplugs, forcing residents to consider additional window insulation and affecting sleep, health, work, and daily functioning. Because individual motorcycles would likely be gone before officers arrived in response to a call, he requested planned enforcement during known peak periods. HPD agreed the recurring pattern could be discussed with area stakeholders. Participants suggested a targeted operation resembling a DUI checkpoint or traffic detail, with officers positioned along the route to stop violators observed by another officer. They also referenced mainland operations in which large groups of illegal dirt bikes were impounded and, in some cases, destroyed.
Proposed Follow-Up
The committee asked Denton to consider returning annually, while some participants favored more frequent updates. Members intend to continue tracing the criminal justice process by seeking a future presentation from the judiciary and following up on sentencing, probation violations, geographic restrictions, habitual-offender legislation, treatment assessments, and the sit-lie ordinance’s wheelchair exception. Additional possible actions include supporting revised noise-camera legislation, developing a city unlawful-noise ordinance that officers can enforce directly, examining cumulative penalties for repeat petty misdemeanors, encouraging focused late-night traffic enforcement, and coordinating the drone program with prosecution and privacy requirements. Denton said she would take several issues back for review but emphasized that successful cases still depend on lawful investigations, admissible evidence, sufficient staffing, and coordination among HPD, prosecutors, courts, corrections officials, service providers, lawmakers, businesses, and residents.