Caitlin Thompson

2 weeks ago | civilbeat.org | Madeleine Valera |Caitlin Thompson

Honolulu police said they stepped up traffic enforcement on the Westside last summer to help them find criminals and guns. Some residents said they felt harassed. After a series of shootings on the Westside last August, Honolulu officials promised to increase police presence on the Leeward Coast, where residents have long said they feel ignored by city government. The department paid overtime and brought in reserve officers so patrols were better staffed.

3 weeks ago | civilbeat.org | Madeleine Valera |Caitlin Thompson |Lee Cataluna |Patti Epler

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1 month ago | civilbeat.org | Marcel Honoré |Caitlin Thompson

The federal government will no longer track the nation’s costliest natural disasters. A local solution can fill some of the need here — if its funding holds out. As the White House shuts down federal efforts to track climate change impacts, Hawaiʻi has recently ramped up its own initiatives to keep that record going at the local level, largely through a network of new weather stations and experts. But that network, which has taken years to build, could also be on the chopping block.

Mar 5, 2025 | apnews.com | Caitlin Thompson |Madeleine Valera

In the four years since Hawaiʻi made it a felony to manufacture or possess unserialized parts used to create firearms, the number of ghost guns that police are recovering has increased dramatically. Honolulu police reported 68 cases involving a ghost gun in the first 10 months of 2024 alone — a nearly 120% increase from that same period the year before, according to data presented to lawmakers in February.

Mar 5, 2025 | civilbeat.org | Caitlin Thompson |Madeleine Valera

Police are seeing an uptick in ghost guns but Hawaiʻi counties differ in how they interpret and use a state law meant to deter people from buying or manufacturing untraceable weapons. In the four years since Hawaiʻi made it a felony to manufacture or possess unserialized parts used to create firearms, the number of ghost guns that police are recovering has increased dramatically.