SOME COVID-ERA POLICIES ARE
PUTTING MANY CRIME SUSPECTS BACK
ON THE STREET WITHIN HOURS OF AN
ARREST.
IT'S NOT JUST A POLICE AND
PROSECUTION ISSUE.
GINA MANGIERI IS ALWAYS
INVESTIGATING, AND FOLLOWS UP ON
OTHER FACTORS, AND POSSIBLE
SOLUTIONS.
ALWAYS INVESTIGATING HAS HEARD
FROM MULTIPLE VICTIMS THAT
POLICE ARE SAYING THERE'S OFTEN
RELEASE- PENDING-INVESTIGATION
--RPI. SO WE FOUND OUT
MORE ABOUT WHAT'S BEHIND THAT
MICHAEL KITCHENS
4:59 CRIMINALS KNOW THAT THEY'RE
NOT BEING CHARGED. AND BECAUSE
OF THAT THEY'RE BECOMING MORE
BRAZEN, THEY'RE
STARTING TO PUSH THE LIMITS OF
WHAT'S ALLOWED.
AT WEDNESDAY'S POLICE COMMISSION
HEARING HPD CHIEF SUSAN BALLARD
ADDRESSED THE CATCH-AND-RELASE
ISSUE ALWAYS
INVESTIGATING UNCOVERED,
POINTING TO THE COURTS AND JAIL
SYSTEM TOO, NOT JUST CHARGING
THRESHHOLDS SET UP BY THE
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE LAST SUMMER.
HPD CHIEF SUSAN BALLARD
CELL BLOCK AND THEN THE JUDGES
COME DOWN AND THEY LOOK THROUGH
THE LIST AND THEY RELEASE
A LOT OF PEOPLE BACK OUT INSTEAD
OF HOLDING THEM ON MISDEMEANORS,
SO I THINK IT'S A THREE-WAY
STREET 38
AFTER A LULL AT THE HEIGHT OF
THE COVID LOCKDOWNS, CRIME IS ON
THE UPTICK AGAIN, BUT NOT NEARLY
AS BAD AS A VIOLENT CRIME SPIKE
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
PROSECUTORS SAY SUPREME COURT
ORDERED COVID LIMITS ON THE
PRISON POPULATION MEAN THEY HAVE
TO DRAW THE LINE ON
CHARGING MOST DANGEROUS CASES
WITHIN 48-HOURS OF ARREST, AND
TRY TO COME BACK TO THE REST
AFTER THEY ARE RPID,
STEVE ALM
21:03 I KNOW PEOPLE WOULD LOVE
EVERY CASE TO BE INVESTIGATED
AND CHARGED WITHIN 48 HOURS. BUT
HAPPEN. IT'S NOT REALISTIC. THE
DETECTIVES, THE POLICE BUDGET,
YOU'D HAVE TO, YOU KNOW,
INCREASE IT BY 50% OR WHATEVER
IN ORDER TO HAVE THE POLICE
AVAILABLE TO HOLD PEOPLE IN
CUSTODY FOR THAT LONG. AND
CASES, WE'RE NEVER GOING TO BE
ABLE TO PROVE BEYOND A
REASONABLE DOUBT. 28
FOR THOSE THEY THINK THEY CAN
PROVE, THEY'LL CHARGE AND HEAD
TO COURT BUT THERE'S A HUGE
BACKLOG THERE,
NEARLY 2,000 PENDING JURY TRIALS
JUST IN THE FIRST CIRCUIT ON
OAHU ALONE.
A JUDICIARY SPOKESPERSON TELLS
ME IT HASN'T ASKED PROSECUTORS
TO CHARGE FEWER NEW CASES OR TO
ENSURE JUSTICE DESPITE THE
BACKLOG.
COURTS AREN'T NOT THE ONLY PART
OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
HOBBLED IN THE PANDEMIC
STEVE ALM 8:28 YOU NEED A ROBUST
PRISON SYSTEM, A JAIL SYSTEM, IN
ORDER TO HOLD THE PEOPLE THAT
NEED TO BE HELD IN
CUSTODY.
JAILS WILL HOLD ALL OFFENDERS
ORDERED THERE BY THE COURTS AND
THOSE SENT BACK FOR PAROLE
VIOLATIONS...
BUT THE PROSECUTOR SAYS COVID
HAS HAMPERED PAROLE AND
PROBATION TOO
STEVE ALM 8:39 PROBATION IS NOT
WORKING RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE
THEY'RE NOT BEING DRUG TESTED.
AND SO YOU'RE NOT SEEING
VIOLATIONS. SO WE'RE VERY
CONCERNED THAT PEOPLE ARE USING
DRUGS MORE, THIS MAY CAUSE MORE
CRIMES TO GET COMMITTED
8:52
CRIME VICTIMS, RESIDENTS AND
BUSINESSES SAY THEY SEE THAT IN
PLAIN VIEW EVERYDAY, ESPECIALLY
DOWNTOWN AND CHINATOWN
MAY CHEN
21:36 THEY'RE DOING DRUGS AND
YOU SEE PEOPLE SELLING DRUGS
RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, OR
SHOOTING
23:25 IT GETS WORSE AND WORSE.
THIS. AND WE EVEN HAVE OLD-TIMER
CUSTOMERS CONCERNED, THEY SAY
IS IT SAFE OVER HERE? I REALLY
DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WALKING
TO YOUR SHOP ANYMORE 44
HONOLULU'S PROSECUTOR SAYS HE'S
LOOKING AT BRINGING THE WEED AND
SEED PROGRAM BACK TO CHINATOWN
AND KALIHIPALAMA
ALM 11:39 PEOPLE ARE GOING TO
IN MANY CASES, EVEN IF THEY GET
RELEASED, THEY'RE GOING TO BE
RESTRICTED FROM RETURNING TO THE
AREA. THEY'LL BE A ARRESTED FOR
SETTING FOOT IN THERE. WHEN WE
WEED AND SEED EFFORT, WE REDUCE
CRIME BY 70%, IN CHINATOWN AND
KALIHIPALAMA,
WE ARE LOOKING AT DOING THE SAME
THING. 12:04
HE TELLS ME SETTING UP WEED AND
SEED COULD TAKE A FEW MONTHS.
VICTIMS OF CRIMES BY REPEAT
OFFENDERS SAY CHANGE
CAN'T COME SOON ENOUGH.
MICHAEL KITCHENS 12:42 THERE
COMES A TIME WHERE WE HAVE TO
SUCK IT UP AND SAY, COVID OR
NOT, WE HAVE A DUTY
TO OUR PEOPLE, A DUTY TO OUR
COMMUNITY, AND WE NEED TO TAKE
THE REINS AND JUST GET BACK TO
WORK. 12:57
GINA MANGIERI KHON2 NEWS ALWAYS
INVESTIGATING.
JOE:
STAFF AND COSTLY OVERHEAD ARE
BEING SLASHED AT HART, AS THE
NEW HEAD OF THE RAIL AUTHORITY
WEEDS THROUGH WHAT SHE SAYS ARE