HONOLULU (AP) – Hawaii authorities on Tuesday asked lawmakers for USD5.2 million to hire eight people and expand 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 in the United States (US) on New Year’s Eve.
The director of the state Department of Law Enforcement Jordan Lowe outlined the funding request during hearings before House and Senate committees at the state Legislature. Last week’s deadly explosion highlighted the immense risks posed by illegal fireworks in Hawaii and put 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 January 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 103,000 kilogrammes (kg) 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 told the House Finance Committee.
He explained how after a seizure of 13,600kg 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.
About USD2 million of the initial startup cost would be for the laboratory, where investigators can analyse seized explosives. Currently, Honolulu police have the only forensics lab in Hawaii certified to analyse 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 analyse evidence for the lab, Lowe said. Investigators will need safety equipment and vehicles. The department will need storage space.
