A surveillance camera installed at the Pali Lookout parking lot as part of a Hawai'i Tourism Authority pilot program helped police make two arrests for crimes there in the past two weeks, said AKAL Security, which monitors video images from the camera.

The $67,500 pilot program is one of the ways HTA is taking a more active role in the safety and security of visitors and residents, said HTA president and CEO Rex Johnson. A video camera also was installed last month at the 'Ehukai Beach Park parking lot. HTA picked the two sites after consulting with the Hono-lulu Police Department, he said.

The pilot program will end in March, after which officials will determine whether the cameras are effective in reducing crime in those areas, Johnson said. Sensormatic Hawaii Inc. is conducting the pilot program and has tapped AKAL Security to monitor the cameras.

Lee Donohue, AKAL Security's chief operations officer for the Pacific region and former Honolulu police chief, called the camera system the "wave of the future" in guarding scenic sites and other areas. He said in the past two weeks the program has helped police to make two arrests for an auto theft and car break-in at the Pali Lookout parking lot.

Dispatchers monitor the cameras and will call police in the Kalihi and Wahiawa stations, which also have the same monitors, to notify them of any criminal activity, Donohue said. The cameras scan the parking lots and can zoom in to capture images of license plates and faces.

Jessica Lani Rich, president and executive director of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai'i, said she was pleased cameras were installed.

"I'm glad that the Hawai'i Tourism Authority has invested in prevention so that we can have a lot more of our visitors go home with a happy vacation," she said. "We see visitors on a regular basis that come to our office crying. They feel personally violated."

Deputy Police Chief Paul Putzulu said in the last 12 months there have been about 75 vehicle break-ins at the Pali Lookout, adding that it's too early to tell whether the new system has had an impact on reducing crime there.

"As more incidents are reported, as we're able to make some other arrests and word gets out to more of the criminals that there is a partnership here and that there are other people watching, not just the police, perhaps it will cause them to reconsider going to those locations," he said. "Which then means that we have to be more cognizant of other locations they may try to go to."

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.