City extends 24/7 security project at some Honolulu-area parks

(City & County of Honolulu)
Updated: Jan. 23, 2019 at 11:30 AM HST
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The city has extended a $44,000-per month pilot program providing an around-the-clock security presence at nine urban parks until the middle of May, a parks spokesperson said Wednesday.

The program, which began in November, was intended to help control parks where encampments of chronically homeless people have been a recurring problem.

“We are very pleased with the impact that this pilot project is having on our park sites,” said Mayor Kirk Caldwell. “Combined with the securing parks initiative across the island, we hope that communities can reclaim their parks so that everyone can benefit from their usage.”

Since the initial contract was signed last year, uniformed private security guards in marked cars have worked to patrol a set of nine parks across Honolulu’s urban core, working primarily in pairs.

The parks involved in the project are:

  • Aala Park 
  • Ala Wai Community Park 
  • Ala Wai Neighborhood Park 
  • Crane Community Park
  • Kamamalu Neighborhood Park
  • Moiliili Neighborhood Park 
  • Mother Waldron Neighborhood Park  
  • Old Stadium Park
  • Pawaa In-Ha Park 

Last year, the city closed four of the nine parks on the list for maintenance repairs after increased complaints from nearby residents about homeless encampments.

The repairs are estimated to have cost more than $155,000. The figure did not include money for groundskeeping work, such as tree trimming and mowing the grass.

Copyright 2019 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.