MAKAPUU, Hawaii (KHON2) — A pilot project to crack down on crime at scenic lookouts is going dramatically well.
Officials are hopeful it will not just be a temporary endeavor.
Honolulu police said there used to be 50 to 80 vehicle break-ins every month at scenic sites like the Makapuu and Lanai lookouts, as well as the Halona Blowhole — but there has been a significant drop since surveillance camera trailers were installed.
“The impact that they’ve had is the UEMV’s — which is car break-ins — at those locations have gone to just about zero,” said Honolulu Police Department Central Patrol Bureau assistant chief Brian Lynch. “The cities on the mainland, they have been using this technology forever. In fact, that we haven’t even tried to use it is kind of disappointing, but I think we’re crossing some bridges right now by doing what we’re doing.”
“It was kind of a no-brainer, really. It’s just, somebody had to cross the bridge.”
Brian Lynch, Honolulu Police Department Central Patrol Bureau assistant chief
The Honolulu City Council approved $65,000 to fund the project through February 2026. The Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board agreed that the project has been a success.
“I’m glad that HPD and the City Council was able to work together to get these cameras in place to provide some more peace of mind,” Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board member Sam Wolff said. “I can imagine that it’s a significant cost savings, for HPD, but also, just, for anybody that’s been a victim of one of these crimes.”
“It seemed hugely logical that if we could get these trailers there, it’s cheaper to pay for a trailer than an officer to sit there, and then the officers can actually go out and do other things, and the trailers can do what the parked officers were doing,” Lynch said.
Both HPD and neighborhood board leaders hope funding can be approved to continue the current project and possibly expand it.
“Then once we, you know, we get that ironed out, then we can move forward with viable options island-wide, not just, you know, at the scenic lookouts,” Lynch said.
“I notice there’s a lot of illegal dumping that occurs in various areas throughout the island. So definitely being able to have cameras set up in those locations to deter more of these, these illegal dumpers,” Wolff said. “And the high crime areas, the high theft areas, as well as homeless encampments, I think it would be valuable to have that type of monitoring.”