Arrest logs shouldn’t be published
When West Hawaii Today made the decision to publish weekly arrest data I was indifferent. I mean, you made your bed, now lie in it. But after talking to a few of my HPD friends I have come to feel differently. They told me that many arrests do not lead to charges and many that are charged are not convicted. According to the Wall Street Journal, 25 percent of those arrested are never charged and a whopping 47 percent of those that are charged are not convicted.
Those folks are not guilty of the offense they were arrested for, period.
Arrest records are public and can — not should — be accessed and reviewed by the public. For West Hawaii Today to pluck and publish this low-hanging fruit of arrest records is misleading and could result in public shame, ridicule and cause potentially financial consequences on those whose arrest never results in charges or convictions. The WSJ story gave an account of someone with the same name as that of a child molester being arrested and held without bail.
Although the mistaken arrest was finally corrected, this person is still trying to correct the record and deal with the shame associated with the mere arrest on such damaging charges. Put yourself in this nightmare with it showing up in the Sunday paper. Good journalism should strive to get at the full truth not sensationalize and manipulate numbers to suit their needs, sorry Fox News.
Publishing arrest reports is not the full story. West Hawaii Today should change their policy and publish only those charged or to be totally honest those convicted of the offense.
Joseph Appleton
Waimea
Editor’s note: An editor’s note runs with each arrest log explaining that the lists shows only arrests and does not mean the person was charged with a crime.
Serious mosquito abatement program needed now
Tulsi Gabbard is truly on the side of the residents of Hawaii Island. She is not concerned in the least with stepping on the toes of the political egos that comprise the bureaucracy at the state Department of Health, the governor’s office and now, sadly, Hawaii County’s own Darryl Oliveira, whom I heard on the news the other night saying that he has “adequate resources” and doesn’t want to “send the wrong message,” by having the governor declare a state of emergency. The agencies responsible for dropping the ball on this outbreak are so shortsighted on so many levels. This is not just about dengue. It’s about a horrible species of mosquito that is capable of unleashing misery on Hawaii for decades to come. We need a longterm, serious abatement program now, or the threat of mosquito-borne illnesses will always be with us. This act will unleash the funds and manpower that should have been utilized three months ago when this outbreak began.
Chris Padilla
Captain Cook