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Using Search: ask a question

Type a plain question and get a short, sourced answer. Example queries, how the reading works, and why it sometimes declines.

Try itTry: theft in Waikiki last 6 monthsTry: when do thefts happen in WaikikiTry: vehicle theft by year

Search is the fastest way to get an answer. Type a topic or a full question, and the tool reads the topic, the area, and the time window, then writes back a short answer built only from the recorded numbers.

The Search page with the query 'theft in Waikiki last 6 months', the Explore pickers, example chips, and a sourced AI answer giving counts and the per-capita rate versus the Oahu average.
A search reads your question ("theft in Waikiki last 6 months") and answers with counts, calls for service, and a per-capita rate against the Oahu average.

How to ask

You can type a bare topic ("vehicle theft") or a full question. The tool understands area names, common misspellings of big places, and time windows written in plain English. All of these work:

  • burglary in Kailua last 6 months
  • when do thefts happen in Waikiki
  • vehicle theft by year
  • how does Kapolei compare to the Oahu average
  • car break-ins near Ala Moana

Reading your question back

Under the box, "Reading your question as" shows how the tool understood your time window and topic. If it read you wrong, adjust the Explore pickers (Topic, Lens, Area, Time, Dataset) just below, or rephrase.

The answer

The answer is written from the deterministic numbers: the count, the per-capita rate, the comparison to the Oahu average, and the relevant caveats. The wording is generated, but the figures are computed and fixed, never invented. An AI · BETA tag marks the written summary.

When a search declines

Two cases. If your question asks for a ranking of places, a safety verdict, or a prediction, the tool declines by design (see What we will never do). If too few records matched (under 5), it suppresses the answer for privacy and offers a wider window to try. Both are covered in Why did my search decline.

One promise, everywhere. Every figure here is descriptive: a count of what was recorded, reported, noticed, or sought, in a stated past period, with its uncertainty shown. Nothing on this platform is a safety score, a grade, a ranking of places, or a prediction. That is a deliberate choice, and it is explained in What we will never do, and why.

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Last updated 2026-07-15 HST