HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii authorities on Tuesday asked lawmakers for money to hire eight people and pay for a $2 million expansion of a forensic lab to crack down on the persistent rampant smuggling of illegal fireworks like those that killed four people and injured about 20 more at a Honolulu home on New Year’s Eve.
Jordan Lowe, the director of the state Department of Law Enforcement, outlined the funding request during a hearing before the House Finance Committee. Last week's deadly explosion highlighted the immense risks posed by illegal fireworks in Hawaii, putting a spotlight on the department's efforts to address contraband explosives.
Hawaii lawmakers will consider budget requests during their next legislative session due to begin on Jan. 15.
The state already has an Illegal Fireworks Task Force that the department formed in 2023 together with other state, city and federal agencies. So far it has seized 227,000 pounds of fireworks and two people have pleaded no contest to felony indictments resulting from its work.
Lowe told lawmakers his department's contribution to the task force consists of two officers whose main job is handling narcotics enforcement. Whenever an operation is planned, the task force must pull personnel from the Honolulu Police Department, attorney general's office and other agencies.
“The problem with that is it’s really not sustainable,” Lowe said.
He explained how after a seizure of 30,0000 pounds of fireworks, for example, officers must unload a shipping container holding the contraband, prepare an inventory list, reload the explosives into a container and then transport it to storage. Only then do they track down who bought and sold the shipment and determine whether they are able to prosecute the case.
The eight positions requested for the proposed Explosives Enforcement Section include six investigators, one of whom will be an administrator, and two clerks.
Lowe said the department also needs a laboratory where it can analyze seized explosives. Currently, Honolulu police have the only forensics lab in Hawaii certified to analyze fireworks composition and Lowe said it is already overwhelmed.
The department will need to lease space, obtain equipment and hire a criminalist or someone to analyze evidence for the lab, Lowe said. Investigators will need safety equipment and vehicles. The department will need storage space.
The department also wants to work with county fire departments to set up a unified fireworks permitting system which would help investigators with enforcement.
On Saturday, the department plans to sponsor an amnesty event at Aloha Stadium at which it will allow people to drop off illegal fireworks without the threat of punishment. It said the event offers a way to dispose of fireworks in a safe manner.
“Our first responders have witnessed the tragic consequences of illegal fireworks use,” said Honolulu Fire Chief Sheldon Hao said in a news release. “To ensure public safety, we can no longer ignore or diminish the serious and deadly dangers associated with illegal fireworks.”
Separately, the Honolulu medical examiner said the fourth person killed in the New Year's explosion was Carmelita Beningno, age 61.
Audrey Mcavoy, The Associated Press
