Proper lighting, landscaping can prevent burglaries; home inspections available
KIHEI — By day, when it's filled with patrons and shoppers frequent a nearby supermarket, the Kihei Public Library seems an unlikely target for vandals.
But at night, it's a different story.
"It's total darkness," said Maui police officer Brad Hickle, who inspected the design and surroundings of the library several months ago as part of a Maui Police Department program to help prevent burglaries and other crimes.
"At 9 o'clock at night, all the lights turn off at the library. That's a big part of the problem," he said.
"You are giving these guys the opportunity to come out here through darkness to commit their crimes."
Lighting and landscaping are keys in many of the recommendations Hickle makes for reducing the potential for crime at hotels, condominium complexes and homes in the Maalaea and north Kihei areas where he is assigned.
He and other community policing officers have been trained to do the inspections as part of a program called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.
The training was provided by Bruce Ramm, a former California police officer who now runs a security business.
"It's common-sense ideas," said Hickle, who tries to find time to do one inspection a month in addition to his other duties. "Unfortunately, some of them are kind of costly. But some of them are designed to last a long time."
In some cases, money stops people from carrying out recommendations, as was the case earlier this year when police suggestions for improving security at the Kihei library were being reviewed. The library has been repeatedly vandalized.
In other cases, residents resist making changes.
In Maui Meadows, police have recommended more lighting as a way to prevent crime in the sprawling rural-residential area rambling over hills and ravines. But the suggestion has been hotly debated, said Maui police Lt. George Fontaine, commander of the Kihei Patrol District.
"People like the fact that they have their ocean views, unobstructed by the street lighting," he said. "Geographically, it's an area where it's easy to commit crimes. It's all based on motive and opportunity without being detected. We feel anytime you provide any kind of lighting, it gets less inviting for criminals."
Fontaine said people wanting a free inspection of their property can call the community policing officer for their area or their district police station. An officer will visit the site, both during the day and at night, and produce a written report with recommendations.
Officers also will provide recommendations in cases where someone is planning to build a home and wants to make the design safer, Fontaine said.
Hickle said placement of hedges and lights and even the shape of a building affect the security of its occupants.
One of the best designs for a condominium complex is a U-shape where lanais look out onto a central swimming pool. "Everybody's watching," Hickle said. "Nobody's going to try to commit a crime there. And if they do, we've got plenty of witnesses and it's easier to get a conviction."
But redesigning a building isn't necessary to deter crime.
The management of one complex took his advice by erecting signs saying "You are under constant video surveillance" and "Trespassers will be prosecuted" to try to keep out strangers.
"People see that, and they really take heed," Hickle said.
He also recommended replacing track lighting on the ground that was easily broken with lighting up in a tree.
At one condominium complex, Hickle noticed a light above the door outside a penthouse unit had been unscrewed. He recommended moving the light to a higher location to prevent tampering and making regular checks to see that all lighting on the property was working properly.
He said many people don't know about mercury vapor lights, which give off an orange-pink glow and use less electricity than incandescent bulbs. He also recommends flood lights and other security lighting, such as motion-sensor lights, in some cases.
A common problem, particularly in older homes and condominiums, is overgrown brush, Hickle said. While the foliage may give residents a sense of privacy, it also could provide a hiding spot for people lurking outside a home or building.
Hickle recommends trimming hedges to only 3 to 4 feet high so a homeowner still benefits but burglars don't.
For those who want a more attractive barrier than a fence to keep intruders out, Hickle suggests planting hedges such as carissa or bougainvillea, which have thorns that discourage people from walking through.
Both plants are attractive, Hickle said. The carissa hedge is bright green with thorns that are not readily visible. "They are real small, but they are real sharp," he said. "If you line your property with this, believe me, they won't go through it. It's really effective."
People can also take some simple steps to keep burglars from removing louvers to enter homes, Hickle said.
For windows with glass louvers, he recommends using silicon epoxy to secure the sides of the louvers to the frames. Alternatively, "Super Glue will work. A couple of drops and you make it real difficult to remove a louver without breaking it."
Wooden louvers can be screwed into frames on both sides.
Hickle says it's important to take steps to prevent burglaries because the crimes are usually committed at random.
"People don't go out and commit three or four burglaries in one condominium," he said. "They will go out and look for an easy target."
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