Anti-crime programs need time to work, Honolulu prosecutor says

Honolulu Attorney Steve Alm confirmed Wednesday that his office is continuing, albeit slowly, its crime-fighting efforts in known trouble spots like Waikiki, Chinatown and even the Leeward areas of Oahu.

Speaking on Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii,” Alm said Safe and Sound Waikiki has made hundreds of arrests for violent and nonviolent crimes since its launch last September in the island’s heavily frequented tourist zone.

“Without question there is a lot going on there; Police have made about 500 arrests as part of the program,” Alm said. “We’re tracking people.”

Noting that the majority of these arrests are for “quality of life crimes,” Alm said his office is asking the courts to consider additional cases of assault, terrorist threats, disorderly conduct, public urination and public drinking.

“Those are the things that can tear down a community,” Alm said, adding his office is also asking the courts to put more people on parole for misdemeanor to make a geographic restriction a condition of parole. “That’s only happened a few dozen times, but we’d like to see it happen more often to clean up the place.”

He said Waikiki and Chinatown — which has its own anti-crime program called Weed and Seed, which restarted in 2021 — were both “challenging areas.”

“That’s why we do Safe and Sound (in Waikiki) and that’s why we do Weed and Seed in Chinatown and in Waipahu and in Ewa-Ewa Beach,” Alm said and the community can work together to make it better.”

Additionally, he said the weed and seed program in Waipahu and Ewa-Ewa Beach is “tailored to the needs of these communities” and does not necessarily follow its sister program in Chinatown.

“So one of the biggest differences is that a lot of the arrests are people who live in that area,” Alm said. having geographic restrictions. If they live somewhere else and go to church to cause trouble, then we will ask.”

But Alm confirmed that Weed and Seed — a state-funded program that began decades ago before being officially disbanded until it was revived two years ago — generally does not have a geographic restriction component, a factor the city’s attorney general finds “frustrating.” “ finds.

“And the reason it’s particularly frustrating is because when we first did Weed and Seed in Chinatown and Kalihi-Palama 20 years ago, every time we asked, the court granted (geographical restriction)” , Alm said. “Because there’s something about that area that’s getting the person in trouble… maybe their drug connection is there, maybe their lowly friends are there. So even not being there helps those people.”

However, Alm said his prosecutors are not asking for geographic restrictions to be imposed on people if they live, work, or seek services in those areas “like a mental health therapist.” Still, Alm said the courts will no longer put people on probation and grant geographic restrictions to Waikiki, Chinatown or Kalihi-Palama if his office requests it.

“And it’s very frustrating,” Alm said.

In the meantime, Alm said, both programs, Weed and Seed and Safe and Sound Waikiki, will take time to show results.

“But the beauty of Safe and Sound, just like Weed and Seed, is that we’ll be there next week, we’ll be there next month, we’ll be there next year,” he said. “It just keeps getting better and better.”

Similarly, Alm noted a pilot program launched last year — Substance Use Disorder Assessment-Fast, or SUDA-Fast — is helping homeless people arrested in Chinatown, primarily for drug-related crimes.

“To help them get off the streets and stay off the streets, they need to get clean and sober and they need to get help with their mental health,” Alm said, noting that this program takes in those incarcerated for crimes as soon as possible for assessment and inclusion in health care. “In a normal situation they would be arrested, go to the OCCC, if they are released by a judge a week later on indictment (then) they go straight back onto the streets.”

Alm said the SUDA Fast program has received support from the Public Defender’s Office, which would like to expand the program across the island.

“I don’t think we’re there,” he said, adding that the number of people being referred has slowed. “Because most of the homeless people in Chinatown who are sleeping on the streets have been arrested and are no longer there… a lot of those people have been expelled.”

In terms of measuring the success of these programs or their complete end, Alm said he expects these crime-fighting programs to continue in the years to come.

“When we first did Weed and Seed, the year before there were 10,000 arrests in Chinatown and Kalihi-Palama, the year we finished there were 2,300[arrests],” Alm said. “The whole point is , if you weed out the criminal activities, all components of the seeding will thrive with community activities.”

In the face of public criticism of the rise in crime here, Alm admitted that crime has increased – especially after a 30% drop in crime during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. He said his office continues to work hard to keep the island “as safe as possible” but it needs the help of citizens to make it an even safer place.

“Citizens are an important part of this,” Alm said. “If you see any illegal activity, call 911. Support the police, support the prosecutors. Because if you can see something and be a witness, we urge you to be ready to testify in court. Participate in a neighborhood watch. We are all in this together and we are doing our best to protect public safety.”