Once a month our neighborhood watch committee gets together at the community center to meet with our Ka’u community police officer, Dane Shibuya, and get the latest information on crime in our area. Fortunately for us, the crime rate in Discovery Harbour is extremely low. Keeping it that way is a major goal of your neighborhood watch!
Neighborhood Watch Signs
More than a year ago Officer Shibuya helped us acquire several neighborhood watch signs which we hoped to have installed at various entry points to Discovery Harbour by now. We wanted to make it clear to anyone coming into DH that we watch out for each other!! Actually getting them installed has proven to be rather difficult. Dane has also assisted us in getting the galvanized posts needed for the signs, but getting the various county departments to do the job is apparently a real challenge. We’ve reached out to our Councilman, Guy Enriques but as of this writing, nothing has happened. We’re still working on it.
Our Patrols
Currently we conduct fourteen patrols a week, driving from one end of DH to the other. We cover the approximately twelve miles of roads in DH once during the day and again after dark. Most of the time our vehicles are marked with magnetic Neighborhood Watch signs, but not always. Our job is to keep our eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary. We are not “nosey” or spying on anyone. If we see criminal activity, we call the police and let them do their job.
If you’ve advised the office you’re going to be away for a few days (or longer) we’ll have our patrols keep an eye on your place for you. With your permission, this may include our actually taking a closer look and walking around to the rear of your property to check for signs of a break-in, etc.
From time to time we get calls from residents who are concerned about suspicious people or activities they observe in the area. We appreciate your paying attention. It really helps everyone if we’re looking out for each other. Unfortunately, it is not our job to rush out and attempt to apprehend people or even to confront those who may be involved in illegal activity. That is the job of the police department, and we urge you to call them FIRST.
In many cases, time is of the essence in these situations and if you call us, you will just be advised to hang up and call 911.
We are always in need of volunteers to help us with our patrols. If you don't want to commit to driving full time, we could still use your help to fill in for people who are on vacation or have to be away for other reasons. If you are willing to help, please contact the Discovery Harbour office. Mileage will be reimbursed if desired.
If you’re curious about how it all works, why not ride along with us on one of our patrols? We’re currently patrolling on Friday nights. We’d be more than happy to take you with us – and we both pick up and deliver!! Give us a call at 929-8210.
Useful Phone Numbers:
EMERGENCY - 911
Na'alehu Administrative Police Office 939-2520
Hilo Administrative Police Office 935-3311
