HONOLULU (KHON2) — North Shore residents met with Department of Law Enforcement officials to learn more about how Duke’s Law is being enforced.
Named after a rancher who was killed last year, Duke’s Law targets crimes on agricultural land including theft involving flowers and produce.
Many North Shore residents say they felt more relief now that DLE is in charge of ag crime.
“It is hopeful to see these guys come out and answer questions from the community members who have been impacted for so long with our crimes on their lands,” said Senator Brenton Awa, Agriculture and Environment Committee Leader. “It’s a problem out here on the North Shore and just a problem in general. It’s hard to live in Hawaii, right. So to have law enforcement and these people in it, we have faith.”
The new law increases ag crime penalties and awareness. DLE Director Mike Lambert said that since the new law went into effect, they have already received multiple reports.
“Some of the things we’re trying to track now is like cattle theft,” said Lambert. We’re really learning about this at least for me for the first time anyway about kind of the themes and schemes that people are doing to rip one another off so we’re learning and we’ve already had a couple of cases related to theft of agriculture but right now the hot button seems to be the illegal hunting and the theft of cattle.”
He says he needs the community needs to work with him and his staff and need people to report crimes so they can get a better sense of whats happening around the islands.
“Even tonight I receive numerous photos from people who want to remain anonymous of illegal hunters so once we begin to fill that database, then we’ll go ahead and start to prosecute those individuals,” Lambert added.
The new website allows people to file reports with DLE, they can upload data, photos and remain anonymous if they want to.
He also talked about license plate readers and cameras being placed statewide.
“Right now, we’re in the final phases of working it out with the Department of Transportation as well as DTS because we need places to mount them,” Lambert said. “We’re actively finalizing the MOAS, we’re hoping that maybe by September or October will start to see some installed.”
Duke Cranston Pias’s aunt says he has so much faith with the new law enforcement that it’s the first time she’s smiled in a long time.
Check out more news from around Hawaii
“I lost it for a while but let me tell you I have faith, so if you see something, say something,” said Kalei Salcedo, Aunt of Duke Cranston Pia. “If you don’t say nothing, nothing will be done.”