QUESTION: I am a Kamehameha Schools parent, as well as a taxpayer. I followed with interest the whole issue of them hiring state deputy sheriffs for extra security on campus. Why were state workers used? Kamehameha Schools is a private entity and can afford its own security.

ANSWER: Kamehameha Schools hired off-duty deputy sheriffs, working on their days off, said Allan Leung, special duty coordinator for the Department of Public Safety’s Sheriffs Division.

"No state resource was ever used," he said. The fee of $30 an hour goes directly to the person hired and not to the department.

Private entities, or even another state or government agency, can hire off-duty sheriffs, much as off-duty Honolulu Police Department officers are hired for private, special-duty jobs, Leung said.

Kamehameha Schools regularly hires off-duty sheriffs to provide traffic control in the mornings and afternoons, as well for general campus security.

Other private schools, such as Punahou and Maryknoll, and organizations such as the Hawaii Okinawa Center, also hire off-duty sheriffs to help direct traffic or for general security at an event, Leung said.

QUESTION: How much does the military pay for registering each car in the family and how many such cars are there registered on Oahu?

ANSWER: Under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a jurisdiction may not charge motor vehicle taxes to nonresident military personnel, or their spouses, who are officially assigned to a unit in that jurisdiction, said Dennis Kamimura, administrator of the city’s Motor Vehicle & Licensing Division.

Therefore, nonresident military members are exempt from state and county motor vehicle weight taxes, state registration fees and highway beautification fees.

However, nonresident military personnel are charged the county registration fee, plate fee and emblem fee, because these are not considered taxes, Kamimura said.

There is no limit on the number of vehicles that may be registered to the nonresident military or their spouses. As of Dec. 31, there were 67,296 such vehicles registered in Honolulu, 54 in Hawaii County, 80 in Maui County and 159 in Kauai County.

Military members who are residents of Hawaii do not qualify for the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

However, in accordance with Act 141 of the 2008 state Legislature, they and National Guard members and reservists assigned to units in Hawaii have a county and state motor vehicle weight tax exemption for one vehicle, Kamimura said.

The number of vehicles of those military members, plus Guard and Reserve personnel, are: 4,310 in Honolulu, 202 in Hawaii County, 135 in Maui County and 89 in Kauai County.

MAHALO

To our Ewa Beach neighbors. On Monday, Jan. 10, our home was burglarized. While deeply disturbed by this violation of our safety and the loss of material items and sentimental items, I cannot help but be moved by the support we received. It was pouring rain, yet several neighbors stood outside and spoke to police officers. Afterward, one of our neighbors actually offered to put us up for the night and other assistance. As three-month residents of Oahu, my husband and I are so touched by the Aloha Spirit. Although we are no longer living there (we’re staying with friends while our house is being built nearby), I would like to give a great big thanks to our neighbors. — Vanessa Trevino-Bruyette