HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Honolulu Police Department’s (HPD) 2021 annual report was released this month, documenting the activities and results of law enforcement duties. Last year, the Communications Division received over 1 million calls for service, of which 86.6% were for police services.
Needless to say, it was another busy year for HPD. Hawaii saw a rise in both violent and property crimes, including murder, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft.
The number of arrests for adults and juveniles also increased in 2021 compared to 2020. Notably, for adults, arrests for larceny-theft increased from 781 to 1,032. For juveniles, arrests for forcible rape increased from seven to 20. See the table below for all categories.
Chinatown COVID-19 Prevention Task Force
HPD launched the Chinatown COVID-19 Prevention Task Force (CCPTF) on July 12, 2021, as a way to establish community partnerships to address the spread of COVID-19 within the area. Operating 24/7, officers patrolled Chinatown offering COVID services and addressing criminal activity.
From July 12 to December 31, 2021, the CCPTF has accounted for over 21,950 warnings, 1,077 citations and 150 arrests, including various offenses such as the Mayor’s rules, sit-lie, traffic violations, pedestrian enforcement, dangerous drugs and other offenses.
Overall, HPD said there has been a noticeable improvement across several categories of reported offenses in Chinatown since the CCPTF launched. There was a 60% decrease in the number of miscellaneous crimes reported, a 32% increase in warrant arrests and an 86% increase in drug/narcotic cases.
Illegal Game Room Seizures
According to HPD, there has been a steady rise in complaints involving underground game rooms and casino-type gaming establishments, which operate 24/7 and cause peripheral crimes, such as assaults, robberies, thefts, car break-ins and even homicides.
In March 2021, the Narcotics/Vice Division’s Gambling Detail, in conjunction with the Specialized Services Division and the District 1 Crime Reduction Unit, executed two simultaneous search warrants to address two game rooms that were being monitored. They recovered 15 Fish games and 9 Pot of Gold games. A total of $15,252 was also recovered from the two locations.
For the rest of the year, the Gambling Detail disrupted 50 game rooms, arrested 85 people, seized $347,316 in U.S. currency and recovered 696 illegal gaming machines/devices valued at $6,275,500.
To see the entire report, click here.
