Q: While driving through Hanama‘ulu a couple of months ago, I was stopped for speeding by a sheriff in his police car. He gave me a break but I don’t thing I was speeding anyway. I thought KPD was in
Q: While driving through Hanama‘ulu a couple of months ago, I was stopped for speeding by a sheriff in his police car. He gave me a break but I don’t thing I was speeding anyway. I thought KPD was in charge of county roads and not the sheriffs. Can he stop me?
Anonymous
A: Thank you for your question. While the sheriffs generally are responsible for areas under state jurisdiction, they do have enforcement powers on our county roads and may issue citations for appropriate violations including speeding.
But, let’s say you were issued a citation and you felt it was unjust, what recourse would you have? Normally the citation would be “contested,” meaning that you would put your trust in the judiciary to decide whether or not the officer had sufficient evidence to justify the citation. A judge would hear the case and decide on the merits of the evidence.
Q: I had a question about placing clear plastic covers over my license plates on my car. Is this a violation to the traffic code?
Dennis, Lihu‘e
A: This question is answered in our Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, 249-7: “The owner shall securely fasten the number plates on the vehicle, one on the front and the other on the rear, at a location provided by the manufacturer or in the absence of such a location upon the bumpers of the vehicle and in conformance with section 291-31, in such a manner as to prevent the plates from swinging. Number plates shall at all times be displayed entirely unobscured and be kept reasonably clean.”
Therefore, based on the language of our HRS, it would be a violation to place any type of covering over your license plates.
Moreover, if your front license plate was not secured on the bumper, that too would be a violation. I mention that because I see a number of trucks and cars on our roadways without front license plates.
Q: I saw the last Police Commission meeting and you talked about child safety seats. Could you please say something about that in you column because I still see so many mothers carrying their babies on their laps. This is so unsafe.
Monica, Kapa‘a
A: Aloha Monica, and thank you for writing. What I talked about was a national declaration proclaiming Sept. 12-18, 2009, as Child Passenger Child Safety Week.
The State of Hawai‘i Proclamation says it all so I’ll quote what was written by Gov. Linda Lingle and Lt. Gov. James R. “Duke” Aiona Jr.:
“The way a child sits in a vehicle could be the difference between life and death. In America, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among children over the age of 1. However, by using a properly installed child seat, fatalities can be reduced by as much as 71 percent for infants, and 54 percent for toddlers.
“Hawai‘i’s child passenger restraint law requires children under the age of 4 to ride in a federally approved child safety seat, and children ages 4 through 8 to ride in a child safety seat or booster seat. Drivers who do not abide by this law can be fined up to $500. Last year, the four county police departments issued a total of 937 child restraint violations.”
KPD will be stepping up enforcement efforts in conjunction with the other three counties as a means of keeping our keiki safe from harm. A recent tragic example resulted in the death of a 5-year-old boy where it was determined that the child was not in a safety seat.
No family should have to go through such a tragedy because it takes only a few minutes to buckle up. I would like to encourage everyone to use your seatbelts and take a few extra moments to secure your children in a safety seat.
Every time you carry your child on your lap while in a moving vehicle you put them at risk of being killed or sustaining life-long serious injuries; and the crash may not even be your driver’s fault.
So be safe and make sure everyone, including baby Ikaika, is buckled up.
Q: When can I call 911? I was told it was only for emergencies, but when I called the other number — 241-1711 — to report a speeding car tailgating and overtaking, I got scoldings for not calling 911. The operator said that it was an emergency and I should have used 911.
Puzzled, Waimea
A: Dear Puzzled, you are right, 9-1-1 should be used only for emergency situations, however, there are times when circumstances will put you smack dab in a gray area. I would suggest that you error on the side of caution and call 9-1-1. If the dispatcher assesses that it is not an emergency you will be informed. In the situation you described, where you witnessed a violation that could potentially lead to a criminal act, you should definitely call 9-1-1 to report the incident as soon as possible.
Volunteers sought
We are looking for volunteers to assist with administrative responsibilities: A media liaison who has background in media relations and two customer service representatives to assist in public contact for the Patrol Services Bureau, and the Investigative Services Bureau.
If anyone is interested and need more information, they can contact the Chief’s Office at 241-1600.
• Darryl Perry is the chief of police at the Kaua‘i Police Department. Send your comments or questions to dperry@kauai.gov.
