STAND. COM. REP. NO.542

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 399

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations and Science, Arts, and Technology and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 399 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE COMSTAT PROGRAM,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the Honolulu Police Department to establish a Computer Statistics pilot project (COMSTAT) to provide more effective and efficient law enforcement.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Police Department of the City and County of Honolulu (HPD). The Judiciary submitted testimony taking no position on this measure but requesting that the effective date be delayed.

Your Committees find that the COMSTAT system will greatly enhance law enforcement in the State. The computer improvements made possible by this measure will provide police commanders with the most current information possible about crime incidents within their areas of responsibility.

In addition, this measure will allow HPD to implement an electronic fingerprint system, which will greatly assist in the identification and tracking of people who commit crimes. Improved intelligence will allow the police to identify criminal trends and take steps to deal with them.

Your Committees understand that COMSTAT has been quite effective in other jurisdictions where it has been implemented. In those jurisdictions, crime statistics have fallen dramatically and the public is more confident in the ability of law enforcement to carry out its vital responsibilities.

For these reasons, your Committees support the institution of COMSTAT in Hawaii.

Your Committees amended this measure to remove the provisions that would have given the counties the proceeds of monetary assessments imposed and collected for traffic infractions. Your Committees also blanked out the appropriation amounts in this measure. Your Committees believe that it is most appropriate for your Committee on Ways and Means to determine the best manner to fund the COMSTAT system.

Your Committees also amended this measure to delay its effective date until January 1, 2004. The Judiciary requested this amendment so that it would have time to devise a program to direct traffic revenues to the counties; although your Committees deleted the traffic fine distribution provisions from this measure, S.B. 1331 is before your Committee on Ways and Means. That measure directs all traffic fine proceeds to the counties, and your Committees intend those funds to pay for COMSTAT.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations and Science, Arts, and Technology and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 399, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 399, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations and Science, Arts, and Technology and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs,

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DAVID Y. IGE, Chair

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CAL KAWAMOTO, Chair

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COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair