The Honolulu City Council voted to advance Bill 46 to a third reading after a lengthy debate over public safety, transparency and legal limits on police data access. The measure, which passed second reading as part of Committee Report 255, would permit limited access to Honolulu Police Department communications for credentialed media organizations under conditions to be negotiated with the department.

Supporters, including representatives of local broadcast outlets, said access to timely dispatch information helps newsrooms inform the public during fast-moving emergencies. Katie Pickman, general manager of Hawaii News Now, said the outlet’s coverage of last week’s tsunami warning showed “the vital role local media plays in public safety” and urged the council to pass the bill. Brenda Salgado, assistant news director at KGMB, told the council, “All these events relate to public safety. And that’s where HPD and the media should be working hand in hand.” Sterling Morita of the Society of Professional Journalists asked the council to “let the news media do their job without blinders.”

City officials and law enforcement cautioned that federal criminal-justice rules restrict what may be released and when. Managing Director Mike Formby said he had received a Corporation Counsel memo noting “legal concerns” and warned, “I don’t believe that the law as briefed by corporation counsel allows us to take all the information in the dispatch communications and provide that via a memo with media.” Interim Police Chief Roddy Vanek told the council the department “fully support[s] the intent of the bill” to improve transparency, but that it “should not be releasing our police radio communication or our police dispatch to the media.”

Several public commenters representing broadcast and press associations urged a negotiated, technical solution that balances privacy and timeliness. The Hawaii Association of Broadcasters’ president, Chris Leonard, said there are “ways to address the security” and urged continued talks. Opponents, including a Navy veteran testifying remotely, warned that raw, real-time dispatch logs can expose victims, addresses and tactical details and said they “create substantial risk.”

Council members pressed both sides for specifics. Chief Vanek said the department could consider amending language that removes the phrase “police radio dispatch” and instead references a “media alert system,” and he noted that Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) rules — enforced by the FBI — restrict dissemination of personally identifiable information transmitted on police networks. The chief said the FBI is preparing testimony against unrestricted release under CJIS policy, and the department has expressed willingness to negotiate language that protects sensitive information while improving media access.

The council recorded reservations from members including Councilmember Tupelo and Councilmember Kia Aina and noted a “no vote” from Councilmember Okimoto on the measure as advanced. Chair Waters said the bill will return to committee for amendments intended to resolve the department’s legal and operational concerns before final adoption.

What changed: second reading approval allows continued negotiation and technical refinement but does not by itself create an immediate, unrestricted media feed. The council and HPD agreed to continue working toward a model that gives vetted news organizations timely, limited access while protecting law-enforcement operations and complying with CJIS requirements.