Hawai‘i Police Department
Kona Patrol
Sergeant Aron Tomota
Phone: (808) 326-4646, Ext. 253
Report No.: 23-074912
Media Release
Hawai’i Island police are investigating a string of specialty license plate thefts that were reported on Saturday, August 5, 2023, in the Kona area.
Throughout the day on Saturday, Kona patrol officers received nine separate reports of theft of license plates, all occurring during the daytime hours in Kona. The stolen license plates, were all specialty Polynesian Voyaging Society license plates, taken from parking lots of various business establishments while the vehicles were parked and unattended.
The Hawai‘i Police Department reminds the public that if you park your car in a public parking lot:
- Park in well-lit areas.
- If you notice surveillance cameras, park in these areas.
- Park in attended parking lots.
- At home, park your vehicle in a locked garage, if you have one.
- Park near the entrances of stores, where it is highly populated.
- Use special screws that require a special security wrench to remove.
- Report any suspicious persons or activity.
At this time, no suspect(s) have been identified. Police ask that anyone with information regarding these incidents to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.