Councilman drafts bill aimed at clarifying county neighborhood watch sign ordinance

Hawaii County Councilman Greggor Ilagan has drafted legislation that he says will bring clarity to a county ordinance dealing with neighborhood watch signs.

“We wanted to create and codify the process of neighborhood signs to make it easier for everyone and, hopefully, make a safer community,” he said.

Among Ilagan’s incentives for the bill was a mishap which resulted in approximately $2,000 being wasted on signs that the Hawaii County Police Department would not approve for use.

“What they told me was that the design looked like there was a guy pointing a gun, and they didn’t want to have that image,” he said.

In working with neighborhood watch groups in his district of Puna, Ilagan heard of several issues with obtaining and installing signage, specifically on private roads. There also has been confusion about who can request signs, and from whom.

His bill, which he plans to introduce next month, would give Hawaii County Chief of Police Harry Kubojiri the authority to approve the construction and installation of signs not only on public property, but also private roadways open to the public.

In Puna, the majority of neighborhood watches are in private areas where the current ordinance does not allow for signs to be placed. The proposed bill clears things up, Ilagan said, by allowing neighborhood watches to install signs themselves, provided they are approved by the chief of police.

In May, Ilagan put up $20,000 of his approximately $90,000 in annual contingency funds to assist with activities of neighborhood watch groups in council districts 4 and 5. The money was divvied out between the Civil Defense Agency, Community Emergency Response Teams and neighborhood watch teams to pay for education materials, equipment and signage.

The signs that were ordered, however, did not meet the requirements.

Puna District patrol Capt. Samuel Jelsma said there is a standard sign for neighborhood watches and that those ordered by Hawaii County Neighborhood Watch group were both a different size and design.

“We didn’t want a sign that wasn’t universally recognized,” he said.

In addition to being significantly smaller and featuring a man pointing what could easily be confused for a gun, the non-standard sign’s message is somewhat confusing and redundant: “All suspicious persons or activities reported to law enforcement HPD will be notified.”

Bobbye St. Ambrogio, coordinator of the Hawaii County Neighborhood Watch, said the 100 signs cost around $2,000.

“In our effort to change the whole signage to make it a little more, I guess, community friendly, we chose the wrong figure on it,” St. Ambrogio said. “It came through, according to them, as questionable as to what this stick figure had in his hand.”

St. Ambrogio said the signs have since been turned over to the county Department of Public Works’ Traffic Division, and that she has been assured they will be recycled.

Peter Noyes, the Traffic Division’s signs and markings supervisor, said he has the signs in storage. And while there was discussion about recycling, he has not acted on it, he said.

Ilagan described the situation as frustrating.

“I had to tell the community, ‘I’m sorry. I bought these signs and they couldn’t be used,’” he said.

A separate goal is to clarify who can obtain neighborhood watch signs. For the signs to be effective, Ilagan maintains there has to be an active neighborhood watch to enforce them.

The proposed bill would require “area coordinators” — a neighborhood watch member designated as the community liaison with the police department — to submit an application to the police chief in order to obtain and install signs.

St. Ambrogio said she has read through the draft and thinks it will work well, providing guidelines to designated neighborhood watch groups.

Email Chris D’Angelo at cdangelo@hawaiitribune-herald.com.