Crime and Police effort in Hawai'i

Despite only being thought of as a tropical paradise, the islands of Hawaii come with many problems,one of which is crime. There are a wide array of people on the islands, each with a wide assortment of opinions regarding crime, the Hawaii Police Department, and other things of the sort. Everyone has a perspective, so issues such as these are difficult to solve. Perspectives  from both sides are necessary for a fair and unbiased statement, one of which comes from someone who thinks the police are unresponsive and lazy and that crime rates are affected by these factors. The other comes from a police officer in training and his perspective on how the police are trying and what he believes their values are. The island needs to see eye to eye if they collectively want to solve any issues throughout the state. 

For the first interview, Frank LaCalamito was someone who had strong opinions on the crime in Hawaii due to past experiences and a worry for the future of the islands. As someone who is a resident on the islands and could be considered a victim to a breakin, he has a a strong and relatable opinions to many. According to Frank “In my opinion, the current situation regarding crime and the police's handling of it in Hawaii is not satisfactory. There are serious issues that need to be addressed, and it is essential to work towards building a safer and more just society.” After trying to figure out what brought about these feelings of disdain for HPD, he would go on to reveal a break-in that occurred at his neighbor's residence. After reporting it to the police and being scared, HPD claimed they would follow up and in the end, they were no help and never did follow up. This case of a breakin also supports stats showing that Hawaii is a state with some of the highest property crime out there.  Another issue that caused a lot of turmoil in the police department in Hawaii is the change in command. There was recently one that caused a lot of trouble due to the new chief being a father to that of a criminal. Not only would that leave a bad taste in the mouth, but would also leave negative thoughts for the future. After going over what could be done to improve the situation revolving around crime, especially property crime in Hawaii, Frank concluded, “Increase police presence and improve law enforcement training; Hawaii could increase police presence in high-crime areas, particularly during peak crime hours. The police force should also receive better training on how to de-escalate tense situations and interact more effectively with the public.” 

Mark, another interviewee on the topic takes a different stance and provides ways that HPD is improving and what they are already solid on. Mark is a police officer in training here in Oahu and was very eager to share his side as someone who supports the police and all that they do. After asking similar questions to Mark as Frank, it was easy to build a picture of his beliefs. After discussing his general thoughts on the crime in Hawaii and the police effort in Hawaii, he gave his thoughts. “The crime rate in Hawaii is currently low.  Throughout my entire training, I have not seen the crime rate spike or increase in any matter.  However, that does not mean police officers will become complacent.” This could be shown through the stats that show that Hawaii has some of the lowest violent crime rates in the country. 

Mark made observations on how the crime rate was low and how the police effort will continue through the low points. He does however believe that there can be improvements made in the police department. After going over it with him, he simply said that while most of the force tries their best, some people can’t help but be lazy and have “off-days”. So while the crime rate is low and police effort is high, there is still more to be improved upon, that is the morale and work ethic amongst the officers. While there is still much more to be said about the crime and police in Hawaii, this is what Mark thought was important to include in the article.

While this island seems to be small and a place of paradise, various problems still riddle the island with stains. Mark and Frank are intertwined with these topics in Hawaii and were believed to be good interviews for their expansive opinions on the subject. Mark believes the police are thriving in this time of stable crime rates, Frank believes there is an insufficient effort around the islands from the police. While there are plenty of people who have opinions on the topic, that doesn’t mean all of these people are working for a better island for everyone. To solve the issues of Hawaii, people will have to see eye-to-eye and understand that Hawaii is everyone's island, not theirs alone. This article is supposed to serve as a wake-up call to see each other's opinions and understand the problem from both sides. Hopefully, this can help one person understand the issue and better come to terms with other people's thoughts and stances on the island because we all share this island.