What happens when you call the police to report a suspicious person trespassing in your yard and on your lanai who resembles the suspect in an earlier burglary of your house? Sometimes, it seems, not much at all.
A woman whose home on Kaaawa Park Lane was burglarized two weeks ago reported seeing a suspicious young man walking across her yard and through her lanai again yesterday morning. He was also seen by a gardner who was working in the yard.
Although she didn’t see his face, the man looked familiar. She believes it was, or could have been, the same person seen during the earlier burglary.
The young man came up from Makaua Stream, which runs along between Kaaawa Park Lane and Huamalani Road (next to the Kaaawa Fire Station). Following the earlier burglary, the intruder fled up Makaua Stream into the valley to evade responding police officers.
Here’s how she described what happened yesterday.
The guy I saw this morning was tall and thin and was wearing a dark long sleeved T-shirt, black baseball cap on backwards, and was carrying a small EMPTY backpack. I was coming around the side of my garage and this figure appeared from the stream and walked across my lanai and down the hill and down the street. He was extremely calm and I never got a look at him head-on so have no idea what his face looks like.
Cesar (the gardner) saw him from the side and said he was a kid. If I hadn’t been carrying my paddleboard I would have gone after him, or tried at least to get a photo with my cell phone. I did put my board down and tried to see where he went, but was unable to ever get a clear view. Cesar and I both thought it was strange that here was this tall kid, just appearing out of nowhere and then calmly and boldly walked down the street. I know in my gut it was the guy who was in my house. The man in my house was tall, but I ran to the neighbors house so as not to confront someone who might be potentially dangerous.
I advised her to call the police, believing that a description of a suspicious person who resembled the burglary suspect would be useful to police, and that they might want to keep an eye out for him.
So what was the result? Not what I was expecting.
Here was her description of what happened.
Just to followup from earlier…I called the Kahuku police station right after your email this morning. They said that since I didn’t know if that was the burglar “for a fact” they suggested I call 911 and file a suspicious person complaint.
I explained that I wanted to add the information to my case report, that the kid was back around. In all honesty, I don’t think the officer cared.
When I called 911, they said if the guy was no longer around my house they didn’t think it necessitated sending a unit out.
So, the police turned out to be of no help but I thought it was important I make a record of it if possible. Thanks for your suggestion.
Then I recalled our own experience with HPD after our home was burglarized. The police officers who responded to our initial call looked around, found the point of entry, took our report on what had been taken, advised us to “get a dog,” shook hands, and left. The next day, I called back and reported that our security camera had gotten a picture of the burglar. With a photo and a higher chance of prosecution, they had to return and do it right. This time they were more thorough, taking photos of the crime scene, and preparing a report.
It didn’t take long for us to identify the suspect using the photo, including an i.d. by his mother. The police, well, took longer. A couple of days later, someone else in the neighborhood saw the suspect at a party and called police. The first responding officer told him it wasn’t worth doing anything, you know, what can we do, etc. So he called again, a different officer responded, and eventually the young man was arrested, mostly because of the perseverance of Kaaawa residents and victims rather than active police work.
There was no lack of Kaaawa folks willing to step up at that time because our burglary was part of a larger wave of break-ins and thefts, just like the one going on over the past two months. And that earlier crime wave abruptly ended when the young suspect was sent to the mainland to escape family court jurisdiction. That’s why the “coincidence” of his return and this new wave of thefts and burglaries is so glaring.
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That backpack was probably my son’s that was stolen on our vacation to Kaaawa, in which he put all the other valuables he stole. Funny it was empty….probably won’t be for long…..will be full of someone else’s stuff……
TERRIBLE!!! Why are the police in your neck of the woods so lackadaisical???
I have ALWAYS had a good response from HPD when I called 911. Quick, courteous, and thorough.
Be happy they did not tell you they could not function due to lack of budget.
The cops don’t want to bother with these type of crimes for exactly the reason you are experiencing…..the “crime” gets treated by our society with not even the perverbial slap on the wrist anymore. Thus, this kid is sent immediately back to the streets to continue his unlearned lessons. He will be a textbook criminal arrested for a far more serious crime at some point in his life where the paper will say he was arrested 65 times but “only” 30 convictions….and he is STILL walking amongst us….even with a long record. It’s the world we live in now.
This sounds like a good story to tell at your next neighborhood board meeting. I have started attending the Wahiawa meeting, and there is usually a representative of the police department there. Issues can be brought up, and they are usually followed up on, AND they appear in the minutes of the meeting. Just a suggestion.
You live in a strange place. If this was happening where I live a group of us neighbors would have a meeting with the kid and the problem would be solved.
Here is a letter I sent to our local paper detailing my own frustrating experience with the MPD.
To the Editor of The Maui News:
I read with personal interest your short item on the trespassing incident at celebrity Ellen DeGeneres’ property (Todays People, 2/15/11). I was struck by the quick action of the Beverley Hills police and DA’s office, and how this contrasted sharply with my own experience here.
In early October of last year, on two separate nights, a thief entered my fenced property and stole 150 to 200 green mangoes from my tree, an all too common crime experienced by many Mauians. On the second night, however, the culprit was caught in the act and confronted by my neighbor. The rat fled, but my neighbor was able to identify him, as well as details of his vehicle. The description my neighbor gave to the police matched that of the individual to whom the vehicle was registered and his address was determined from DMV records.
Four frustrating months have now passed with no apparent action from MPD or the DA’s office. During this period, I have visited the police and DA’s office once each and have called the DA for progress reports seven times , including a fruitless conversation with a seemingly uninterested Deputy DA, Kenton Werk. Meanwhile, the rat who robbed me is uncharged, doubtless pleased that he apparently got away with his crime and plotting his next trespass and theft.
I can’t help but wonder if I were well-heeled and well-connected that the “Wheels of Justice” might turn a bit faster in my case.
John R. Miller
Kihei
I find you get a faster response if you leave lots of donuts around.
it’s a new kamaaina test!! eh, what’s your police ignore you story?
i’ve had a couple, but probably the most blantant was i witnessed my car getting broken into at the Makapuu parking lot. I yelled, he ran. Got the full description of his car (which was painted camo, real unique), his licences plate number, and a physical description of the perp. Drove straight to the Kailua PD and made a report. And like our friend on Maui, attempted to follow up a few times, but in the end you realize, hey, they really don’t give a $hiT about this, do they?? happens way too often. I just figured it was one of the cops cousins or something and let it go.
Repeat that description and plate number HERE.
There is no link in that comment, fyi.
I meant on Ian’s site
Ian, your community’s experience is consistent with most of my experiences. One of many:
I had a videotape of a suspect stealing very valuable items, (felony level) had him detained, and he said that he did it.
HPD said there was no probable cause to arrest and let him go. Then they lost the entire file.
It seems that the community and the department need to come to an agreement on the function of a police department. The community thinks HPD exists to prevent and solve crimes. Some few in HPD (not all!) seem to think their function related to theft is to do documentation for insurance claims.
Perhaps the paperwork required of them is too onerous. Whatever the burdens are on them that seem to make regular police work impossible, let’s get it in the open and rethink.
Maybe they need more funding. One detective told me how many cases he had, and he was one of only two for a huge region. That is a system that is designed to fail, whether intentionally or otherwise.
It is a small miracle with this kind of responsiveness that we haven’t been taken over by crime completely.
We need to get the police and the community together to have shared expectations. The gap between what is said to be their function and reality needs to be closed.
Do you think the neighborhood boards could be a venue to work on this issue?
Everybody on Oahu has one of these stories. Burglary is regarded as a lifestyle. It’s just what kids do. It’s your own fault because you don’t have an electric fence around your home. Get over it. Next case …