The following editorial appeared in the Star-Bulletin:
The Honolulu Police Department is risking a legal challenge by posting on the Internet the names and photos of drivers cited but yet to be tried on drunken driving charges. A partly similar posting by a New York county last year was found to be unconstitutional, but the brevity of the scheduled HPD site should put it on stronger legal ground.
HPD plans on Wednesday to launch the site consisting of the names and photos of people arrested and charged with drunken driving. The photos will include arrests Nov.15-21 and will remain online for 24 hours. For the next six months of what amounts to a pilot program, the 24-hour posting will include those arrested in the preceding Sunday through Saturday.
The police department’s Scarlet Letter site, titled “Oahu’s Drunk Drivers,” is aimed at discouraging people from taking the risk of being humiliated even before going to court. The initiative for public safety is commendable, particularly with the holidays coming. It is a bold — some will say brazen — move to discourage drunken driving.
Read more in the Star-Bulletin.