Council committee advances resolution urging plan for Mililani police substation

The Honolulu City Council Committee on Public Safety and Customer Services on Jan. 16 advanced a resolution asking the city administration and the Honolulu Police Department to develop a plan during fiscal year 2025 to create a police substation serving Mililani and other parts of Patrol District 2.

The committee reported Resolution 24‑267 out for adoption with no objections after receiving written and oral testimony and a briefing from the department. The resolution, introduced in October 2024, was prompted by concerns from Mililani neighborhood leaders about a recent increase in violent incidents, according to testimony from Danielle Bass, chair of Mililani‑Waipio‑Milamanu Neighborhood Board No. 25.

Acting Major Joel Gonzales of the Honolulu Police Department told the committee HPD supports the idea of increasing presence in Mililani but opposed establishing a staffed substation in Mililani Mauka at this time because of departmentwide staff shortages, budget constraints and logistics. Gonzales said a staffed substation would “further burden our staffing issues” and could “take away officers from the road to staff the station.” He said the department encourages proactive, visible patrols, traffic enforcement and bike patrols and highlighted a partnership with Mililani High School on a “Pathways” student program that offers law‑related classes.

Committee members pressed HPD on how many staff a substation would require and how Patrol District 2 is organized. Gonzales said a publicly staffed substation that takes reports would likely need at least two officers present at a minimum, and that the district covers a large portion of Oʻahu — including Mililani Town and Mililani Mauka, Wahiawa and much of the North Shore — served primarily from the Wahiawa station. He and other HPD representatives said scheduling sergeants attempt to shift personnel to cover broad geographic areas but acknowledged limits when multiple incidents occur simultaneously.

Mililani neighborhood testimony described a string of violent incidents in 2023–2024 and told the committee the community of about 54,000 residents is the fifth‑most populated ZIP code in the state. Committee Chair Okimoto and other members said they intended to pursue the matter further with HPD and that seeking funding for a footprint change would be included in the upcoming budget process.

The chair recommended the committee report Resolution 24‑267 out for adoption; no member objected and the resolution was advanced.

The committee record shows the council will continue discussions with HPD on options — whether a staffed substation, increased beats, temporary reporting locations or other strategies — and that any physical substation would be contingent on staffing, funding and department capacity.

For now HPD said it will continue proactive patrols and community programs; council members signaled intent to press for a plan and to consider budget requests that could support a substation if feasible.

Questions and follow‑up items from the committee included requests for HPD to clarify criteria used to evaluate a substation, staffing and service area maps for Patrol District 2, and the department’s plan for increasing visibility in Mililani.

The committee advanced Resolution 24‑267 to the full council with a recommendation for adoption. No roll‑call vote was recorded in committee minutes.