30 security cameras being installed in Chinatown

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Soon, criminals will have more eyes on them, or at least that’s the idea.

Upgrades are being made to the cameras in Chinatown as dozens of high-definition cameras continue to be installed and there are more on the way.

The cameras were installed in 30 locations. They have 360 degree views, full pan, tilt and zoom. They track motion, have multi colored LED strobe lights, microphones and a siren.

They are exactly what one business and community association said are needed to deter crime in the area.

“That’s the whole key is to prevent and to be able to arrest quickly 4:12 and with everything evidence on the video,” said Chu Lan Schuber-Kwock of the Chinatown Business and Community Association.

HPD said in a statement, “The camera system will help in deterring crime, enhancing safety, capturing evidentiary footage, identifying and monitoring hotspots and promoting community trust. It also gives a added sense of security.”

But with 30 new cameras running 24/7 and another 30 on the way, who is monitoring them?

HPD said they are working on a plan.

“We’re 400 officers short at HPD. There’s only a certain number of officers at the Chinatown substation,” Honolulu City Councilman Tyler Dos Santos-Tam said. “There were some discussions about getting community members to volunteer to monitor them, but at the end of the day, we need HPD to step up and be monitoring these cameras at all times.”

Schubert-Kwock said they requested coverage by a police-trained civil servant.

The total cost of the system upgrade is an estimated $980,000. The City hopes to have all 60 up and running by the end of the year.