The Military Police look at the five "Ws" for reporting suspicious activity. (Graphic courtesy of Directorate of Emergency Services, U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii)
“The safety of people is the highest law” – Marcus Cicero
Law Enforcement Division
Directorate of Emergency Services
U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii
School is back in session and we at U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii's Directorate of Emergency Services Law Enforcement Division are committed to making this school year as safe and secure as possible for service members and their families.
In this month’s issue of "The Police Perspective," we will be focusing on some initiatives that both Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter police stations have initiated for the 2019-20 school year. We will also review a few policies to keep in mind and best practices which will help ensure safety for everyone’s this school year.
Police Station Initiatives
Our Military Police and Department of the Army Civilian Police Officers work hard each and every day to ensure the safety of our community. Below are some of the initiatives our Law Enforcement personnel are taking at the Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter school zones:
- Increased patrol presence within school zones looking specifically for unattended children, and individuals riding bikes, scooters and skateboards without helmets.
- Engaged with multiple children each day during these walking patrol that were unattended and engaged over 30 children that were not wearing helmets or using headphones while walking on the installation.
- Increased speed enforcement and school bus stop monitoring during drop off and pickup times. As a result we issued 12 speeding citations in order to discourage speeding within school zones.
- -Implementation of walking presence patrols on school property during peak hours by our bike patrol.
Helmet Policy
In accordance with USARHAW Regulation 1: U.S. Army Hawaii Standards and Discipline, paragraph 3-18, anyone riding bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, roller blades, powered and non-powered scooters, will wear helmets at all times while riding on USAG-HI installations.
This Regulation and other Garrison Policy Letters can be found on the U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii website under "Policies and Command Publications" at https://home.army.mil/hawaii/.
See Something, Say Something
Across the country, in our communities, we share everyday moments with our neighbors, family, coworkers, and friends. Our daily routines include going to work or school, shopping at the commissary or PX, filling gas up at the shoppette, and many other things. It's easy to overlook these routine moments, but as you’re going about your day, if you see something that doesn't seem quite right, say something.
By being alert and reporting suspicious activity to your local Military Police Station, you can protect your family, neighbors, and community. Knowing the 5Ws of how to report suspicious activity will not only assist MPs in handling the suspicious activity but more importantly will help to keep you and your community safer.