Pubdate: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 Source: West Hawaii Today (HI) Copyright: 2003 West Hawaii Today Contact: http://westhawaiitoday.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/644 Author: Tiffany Edwards Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Note: To read more about the "ice epidemic" in Hawaii, go to http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Hawaii . HERKES' BILL FINDING LITTLE POLICE SUPPORT HILO - State Rep. Robert Herkes has proposed a bill calling for retired police officers to form a crystal methamphetamine task force but many in the law enforcement community aren't signing off on it, including the Big Island's Police Department. Herkes' proposal has been combined with other crystal methamphetamine - related bills, including prevention and rehabilitation initiatives to form the omnibus House Bill 297, or "Drug Busters" bill. The bill was expected to have its final reading on the House floor late Tuesday. Herkes was confident Monday afternoon the bill will be handed over to the Senate, saying every member of the House majority had signed the bill and there were very few questions about it when the bill was taken up during caucus. The bill calls for retired police officers to be hired on a contractual basis to form a "drug strike force" under the supervision of the Department of Public Safety. Money would come from the revolving criminal forfeiture fund the Office of Attorney General oversees. Also, a percentage of cigarette tax stamp revenues would be earmarked for crystal methamphetamine treatment, and tobacco settlement money would be appropriated for prevention, according to the bill. The bill also calls for the lieutenant governor to be renamed the state's "drug czar." He would lead a board - comprised of the Attorney General, the directors of Health, Human Services, Public Safety, and the chairmen of the Board of Education and University of Hawaii Board of Regents - that would oversee all drug - related programs in the state and their funding. While Herkes said the bill brings "all the elements together," including rehabilitation, education, enforcement and funding, some in the law enforcement community have suggested it would create another layer of bureaucracy. Deputy Attorney General Kurt Spohn, Hawaii County Deputy Police Chief Harry Kubojiri and Honolulu Police Capt. Kevin Lima said they support the bill's intent to fight crystal methamphetamine, but not hiring retired police officers. "As far as we're concerned, there's enough people. We don't need any more agencies. We just need more coordination," said Lima, who testified against the bill when it was presented Feb. 5 to the House Judiciary Committee. Spohn called it "redundant" to create a statewide task force under the Department of Public Safety when it already has a narcotics enforcement division. Plus, he noted the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program coordinates the state's police task forces. Hawaii is among 30 areas across the country with such a severe drug trafficking problem it was dubbed a HIDTA. Bringing the different law enforcement agencies together "has been a monumental task," said Director Larry Burnett, who has been "building the infrastructure" of the program since May. "What you'll wind up with if it's not coordinated is a small task force running around doing enforcement and operational activities that in essence could be counterproductive to the overall strategy that the rest of the law enforcement community is putting into place," Burnett said. "A simple buy and bust could drive an organization underground that the rest of the law enforcement community had an informant into," he said, adding the lack of coordination also may put officers at risk. Lima said he has been in the Honolulu Narcotics/Vice Division for three years and drug investigations aren't as simple as people realize. "Established drug distributors are pretty smart. We would be hiring retired police officers: older guys. You would think drug dealers would know who's coming. I don't know how this thing got so messed up," said Lima, referring to the omnibus bill. He said Herkes is "very anxious" to solve the crystal methamphetamine problem, but "a new agency is not going to make it go away." Kubojiri suggested the money that would be used to create a new task force go toward "the current task force initiatives" across the state. Those task forces currently are federally funded. Hawaii County receives $230,900 annually - $126,700 for East Hawaii and $104,200 for West Hawaii - from HIDTA and $86,000 per year in Byrne Memorial Grant funds. Among other efforts, Mayor Harry Kim's latest budget proposal includes a task force, with three officers stationed on each side of the island, to combat the drug problem. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk