Ask the Mayor: Can Stings Be Set Up for Vehicle-Related Crimes?

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his staff.

Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at AskTheMayor@mauicounty.gov, (808) 270-7855 or mail them to 200 S. High St., 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793.

Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column.

Hello Mayor,

Q: Can you set up undercover stings for all the vehicles break-ins, thefts and burglaries? According to the statistics I’ve been reading, there have been over 50 per week. Seems easy to set up stings by police, and by using parking lot video cameras. At least get more surveillance at the most common areas that seem to happen every week.

P.S. They must be selling these stolen items somewhere—that also needs investigated.

A: I asked the Maui Police Department about this, and here is their official response:

“The Maui Police Department is a proactive department against crime. We do conduct undercover operations and target specific areas based on data analysis. We have had successful operations resulting in arrests regarding thefts.

“We encourage the public to remove valuables and secure their vehicles. Make sure to lock all doors and windows of their residence. We have crime prevention programs to assist the public in safeguarding their property and increasing awareness of their surroundings.

“The public can call Community Relations at (808) 244-6380 or email crsmail@mpd.net for more information.”