Question: Last April, I received a letter from the Honolulu Police Department stating that its alarm registration and tracking was to be outsourced to the Public Safety Corp. The letter stated, "The PSC is a private vendor and developer of CryWolf, an alarm tracking and billing system that is used successfully in many mainland cities." The letter seemed informational and did not call for any action as an alarm user. I am usually asked to renew the registration of my alarm about October each year. I was never sent anything to renew my alarm registration. What has happened to the alarm registration process and procedures? Do I need to do anything?
Answer: It could be that your renewal data hadn’t come up yet, according to the Honolulu Police Department, but you should double-check with PSC to be sure.
Registrants were not required to re-register or transfer their applications, and the original renewal dates remain in effect, said HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu.
Only new alarm owners need to register with PSC.
Information for approximately 46,000 alarms registered on Oahu was transferred from HPD to PSC last year, and PSC began sending out renewal reminders in September.
"The outsourcing was done to provide the public with additional services and improved access to registration and billing information," Yu said.
Under HPD, alarm owners had to pay by mail or in person, and contact with the HPD’s Alarm Tracking and Billing Unit was limited to normal work hours, she said.
The PSC allows alarm owners to register and pay online, while customer assistance is available via a "24/7" phone line.
The outsourcing did not increase fees. The initial registration and annual renewal fees remain at $15 and $5, respectively, Yu said.
Under terms of the contract, which began Feb. 1, 2014, and ends Jan. 31, 2016, PSC receives 63 percent of all revenue collected, which includes new permits, renewals, service fees, fines, violations and dishonored check penalties, said Nelson Koyanagi, director of the city Department of Budget and Fiscal Services.
The contract allows for the possibility of two optional 12-month extensions, he said.
In 2013, $449,005 in fees alone was collected, according to HPD.
Figures for 2014 were not available.
For more information about the security alarm program, go to bit.ly/1AJhFxw.
Question: Where can we drop off old telephone books this year to be recycled?
Answer: Old telephone directories can be dropped off the next four weekends, beginning Saturday, at Windward Mall, Kahala Mall and Waikele Center.
The "Think Yellow, Go Green" recycling program is sponsored by The Berry Co., which publishes the Hawaiian Telcom directories, but any company’s directories will be accepted.
The directories can be dropped off between
10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 7-8, Feb. 14-15 and Feb. 21-22 at:
» Windward Mall, on Haiku Road near Kamehameha Highway, on the corner of the lot between Macy’s and Sears.
» Kahala Mall, next to the Trolley Stop on Kilauea Avenue, across from Macy’s.
» Waikele Center.
Call 833-2018 to arrange for bulk drop-offs.
Mahalo
To a kind and generous man. I was in a checkout line with a sizeable amount of groceries in my cart at the Pearl City Foodland in December. Two men were behind me with few items so I asked them to go ahead of me. One of the men asked the cashier to apply change due him (more than $7) to my groceries. I didn’t know he had done this until the cashier told me after processing my purchase and, of course, he wasn’t around for me to thank. I was taken by surprise and want to express my appreciation for his kind gesture and to wish him a Happy New Year. — Senior Citizen
Write to "Kokua Line" at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
