HONOLULU (KHON2) — From shootings to fireworks, it was a busy weekend for city officials and first responders.
Both the mayor and police spoke about the need for community members to step up and say something if they see something.
Backed by new laws that give police a greater ability to cite or arrest individuals for using illegal fireworks, Honolulu Police Department teamed up with the Department of Law Enforcement for operation “Safe Skies” from 3 p.m. to midnight on the 4th of July
This afternoon, the mayor said the efforts paid off.
“You know, people really responded. They cooperated. In fact, where I live, I didn’t even hear a firecracker go off, which was amazing because historically, every year you hear a lot,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “But we know that there were places where there were some illegal aerials. But for the most part, I thought we had a great response from the public.”
HPD and DLE issued 19 fireworks citations and 75 warnings from Halawa to Makaha.
It was the first major enforcement under the new law that allows law enforcement to cite or arrest people based on video, pictures or eyewitness reports.
Of greater concern to law enforcement over the holiday weekend was the number of people driving under the influence and the number of shootings.
“The community knows what’s going on out there to some extent,” said Joe Logan, Honolulu Police Chief. “We’re asking for the community to support and help us, whether you identify or know of individuals that may have firearms. To help report that you can do it anonymously.”
“There’s something wrong here. It’s something we need to address, but the public has to help us,” said Blangiardi. “Again, it’s one thing to talk about the public helping us with clearing dry brush. It’s another thing for people to understand the responsibility they have when they get behind the wheel of a car, for that matter, and drive impaired, okay, that’s not good.”
Officials urge the public to do their part in keeping our communities safe by saying something if they see something.