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Crime & Courts

The Honolulu Police Department will shift 100 officers to patrol duties beginning November.

 announced Thursday that the department will move 100 officers from duties throughout HPD as a shift to get as many officers back on the road as possible.

“It means more officers on the road,” Lazar said. “It also means officers are available to respond when someone calls for help. It means we’re working to reduce response times and getting officers to those who need them sooner, and it ultimately means we can continue providing emergency police services without having to reduce our response capabilities.”

Lazar added that the move will also reduce overtime expenses. He said HPD’s overtime budget is about $6.8 million each quarter, but in the first quarter of 2026, that budget was exceeded by another $6 million.

“We just don’t have enough officers in patrol to do the work,” Lazar said. “We have beats, we have shift work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and so a lot of that overtime was spent to make sure that we have enough officers to do the work.”

The officers to be on patrol will be reallocated from throughout the department, from the chief’s office and the criminal investigations unit, to the traffic unit, training division, human resources, the narcotics and vice unit and more. Furthermore, where officers who finished field training would previously go to an additional training unit called “fourth watch,” they will now be put on patrol alongside another officer.

“Make no mistake, we still will investigate narcotics crimes,” Lazar said. “We’ll still go after gambling houses. We are still going to investigate every single type of crime that’s occurring.”

But while Lazar said the shift will not “sacrifice any ongoing investigation,” he also said that patrols are the primary focus for the time being, and investigations are secondary.

The shift does not have a specific end date. Lazar said the new state of affairs will continue for the time being as officer recruitment continues.

“There’s really no time limit on it, other than that we have to keep this in place until we have enough officers in patrol, and then we can start looking at … other elements that we need to refill again,” Lazar said.

But Lazar said officer recruitment is strong, with a class of 32 new recruits expected to graduate at the end of the month. Nonetheless, he said officer numbers are still some 200-300 short of the 2,177 officers the department is budgeted for.

The response from the rank-and-file is still unknown; Lazar said Thursday that he had informed the department as a whole about the change only about 15 minutes before the media were informed. Nonetheless, he said that “officers wanting to leave or retire [because of the change] have not crossed [his] mind.”

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi commended Lazar on his “flexibility [and] willingness to think differently,” and said his decision simultaneously addresses a financial challenge while improving public safety.

Lazar

<title>100 HPD officers to be reassigned to patrol</title>

Scores of officers will be reallocated to patrol duties next month, HPD Chief David Lazar announced Thursday.

100 HPD officers to be reassigned to patrol

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Several new retailers and restaurants have recently opened at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu and more are set to open soon, the center announced Wednesday. Here’s what you should know.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What's new:"}]

, a locally owned coffee roaster serving breakfast, lunch and craft coffee, has opened on Street Level 1 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

 can be found on Mall Level 2 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

Korean beauty retailer Lume Harmony can be found on Street Level 1 near Center Court.

, offering a selection of toys, plushies, collectibles, stationery, beauty essentials, home goods, fragrances, electronics, snacks and other accessories, can be found on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, an ear piercing and jewelry brand, has opened on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Coming soon: "}]

, which will showcase contemporary works by local and international artists, is set to open this month in an 8,000-square-foot space on Street Level 1 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, an indoor family entertainment venue and indoor playground spanning more than 42,000 square feet, will open in October on Mall Level 2 of the Mauka Wing. The space will have multilevel play structures, slides, an indoor zipline, trampolines and other play areas, along with amenities like supervised drop-off services, private party rooms, luggage storage and the Kids City Café.

, a modern beauty and wellness boutique offering a curated selection of facial and body spa treatments, personalized skin consultations, lash services, permanent makeup, Korean beauty products and more, will open this month on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, known for designer toys, blind boxes and collectible figures, will open its first Hawai‘i location this month on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, a luxury wellness and recovery destination, and 

, offering a modern take on traditional tea culture, are expected open in October. You'll find BB Wellness on Street Level 1 of the Diamond Head Wing and Molly Tea on Mall Level 2 of the Mauka Wing.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Relocations and renovations:"}]

 will reopen its expanded and newly renovated permanent location on Street Level 1 near Center Court in September.

 will relocate to a temporary boutique on Mall Level 2 of the Diamond Head Wing later this month, while its permanent location undergoes renovation. The newly renovated permanent shop is currently expected to open in late 2027.

Ala Moana Center opened in 1959 and is the world's largest open-air shopping center with more than 2.4 million square feet of retail space. It offers more than 350 stores and restaurants, including more than 160 dining options.

Ala Moana Center 052526

<title>What's new at, and coming to, Ala Moana Center</title>

The shopping center has recently welcomed a number of new tenants with more coming soon.

What's new at, and coming to, Ala Moana Center

Rose Angelo

Aloha Spirit

Adapted from an undergraduate research thesis, student Rose Angelo talks with Maui community members about Hawaiʻi's "drastic change in food production and security, and how can Hawaiians come together to steward the land and their communities."

Kipahulu Ohana

Community Voices: 'Reestablishing food sovereignty for Hawaiʻi is a kākou effort'

Rose Angelo is a student at the University of Colorado. This article is based on research for her undergraduate honors thesis “Creating a Food Sovereign Maui: Indigenous Land Management and Agricultural Practices.”

Rose Angelo

Latest from Rose Angelo

Community Voices: 'Reestablishing food sovereignty for Hawaiʻi is a kākou effort'

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