LIHU‘E — The public will have the opportunity to address public safety questions and concerns with community leaders from the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, the Kaua‘i Police Department and the County Council’s Chair of Public Safety at a series
LIHU‘E — The public will have the opportunity to address public safety questions and concerns with community leaders from the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, the Kaua‘i Police Department and the County Council’s Chair of Public Safety at a series of public meetings in July.
The joint meetings will be held in Kilauea, Koloa, Kekaha, Lihu‘e, Waimea and Kapa‘a.
“The Kaua‘i Police Department is looking forward to these town hall meetings,” said Police Chief Darryl Perry, “because it affords an opportunity to interact, engage and explain what we are doing as a police department in keeping our communities safe.”
The multiple locations are key.
“Different communities seem to voice different public safety concerns,” explained Kaua‘i Prosecuting Attorney Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho. “On the North Shore, for instance, we hear a lot of about home invasions and car break-ins, while on the Westside, residents fear the escalation of the use of illegal prescription drugs and crystal meth.”
In the past, OPA held Pono Kaulike “Equal Rights and Justice for All” meetings, and KPD participated in drug forums. Kaua‘i County Councilman Mel Rapozo, who chairs the Public Safety committee, held his own town hall meetings at various neighborhood centers across the island.
“This is the first time leaders from the Prosecutor’s Office, KPD and the County Council will meet all together with the public in a town hall meeting format,” said Rapozo. “There is no better way to get input from the community than to go out to them with town hall meetings.”
The meetings allow the public to grasp and understand the different roles that each agency plays in public safety, and which is better equipped to tackle specific issues, said Iseri-Carvalho.
“It’s good to have representatives from all three departments together,” she said, adding that it helps ensure questions go to the appropriate agency to avoid getting passed over.
“This way, if there is a question for the police, they are there to answer it, and if it is a question better addressed by the prosecutor’s office, then we are there to provide an answer,” Iseri-Carvalho said. “And the county council has a representative present who can address questions or concerns about funding and legislation.”
All the meetings will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Following are the dates and locations:
• Tuesday at Kilauea Neighborhood Center.
• July 12 at Koloa Neighborhood Center.
• July 23 at Kekaha Neighborhood Center.
• July 24 at Lihu‘e Neighborhood Center.
• July 26 at Waimea Neighborhood Center.
• July 27 at Kapa‘a Neighborhood Center.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend. If you need assistance or an auxiliary aid such as an interpreter or materials in an alternate format in order to participate, contact Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Charles Foster at 241-1729 or cfoster@kauai.gov.
