216 cellphone citations issued

Maui police issued 216 citations for cellphone violations last week as part of increased surveillance in conjunction with National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April.

Traffic officers were at various locations and focused enforcement efforts on driving while texting or talking on cellphones the week of April 7, said Lt. William Hankins,, traffic division commander.

During the week, traffic officers issued 211 cellphone violations and five cellphone/school zone violations, Hankins said. Other traffic-related citations were issued for violations of child restraint (six); seat belt (130), and other traffic (73) laws.

Officers also made six arrests for warrants and one arrest for drunken driving, Hankins said.

During 2018, police issued 2,964 cellphone citations. As of Monday, 740 cellphone citations had been issued this year.

The National Distracted Driving Awareness Month is a National Highway Transportation Highway Safety Administration event. Hankins said police will continue its efforts year-round to address and enforce all traffic laws and to promote safe driving practices on county roadways.

The National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have designated UH-Maui College a National Center of Academic Excellence in cyber defense through 2024, the college said.

The designation is for the college’s Applied Business and Information Technology bachelor’s degree program and aims to promote higher education and research in cyber defense and to produce professionals with cyber defense expertise.

Nationwide, only about 200 universities have been admitted to the program. UH-Maui

College met program criteria, which includes multiple assessments, comments and mentorship.

The approval validates that the courses offered at the college are closely aligned with national standards in cybersecurity, the college said. The designation opens up opportunities for scholarships, grants and other ways to develop the curriculum, such as hosting conferences.

The initiative was led by ABIT Program Coordinator Debasis Bhattacharya, who also oversees activities under UH-Maui College’s Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research, which was established in 2015.

Those interested in the ABIT program may go to maui.hawaii.edu/abit.