2023-06-16 Police Commission Regular Minutes

Home

Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes June 16, 2023 Page 2 There was a discussion between Chair Robinson and AC Quiocho regarding the classification of assaults, miscellaneous public complaints (MPs), and investigations assigned to detectives. Vice Chair Toci asked AC Quiocho to explain JAS, the Juvenile Aid Section because its name can be misleading. He explained that their focus is on family-related crimes that are felonies, which include domestic violence, juvenile-related crimes, and runaways. He noted there seems to be a concern with runaways tied into human trafficking. Chair Robinson stated he has been receiving a lot of Nixie alerts regarding runaways and updates when they've been located. AC Quiocho explained there are a lot of chronic runaways, and it's important for families to have a strong bond with each other, if that's lacking, children seek it in other ways. As a law enforcement agency, they can try everything they can to make sure these children are found and protect them from predators. Commissioner Bertsch asked AC Quiocho if he has any research or opinion regarding the status of human trafficking on the Big Island, if he understands correctly, the facts did not support the "epidemic" of human trafficking. AC Quiocho explained that based on reports that he reviewed, a lot of it was spurred by social media. It's not as prevalent as it is in other areas, but it could escalate, there are predators here, which is why they try to prevent it by taking care of the smaller things and focusing on runaways. Vice Chair Toci added that she is on the child sex trafficking team. She explained it has been happening for many years. The term "trafficking" means "the use or exchange of goods." If a runaway is provided with a place to stay and/or marijuana, that's already termed "trafficking." There's an elevated number of trafficking because they are now naming it as such. Commissioner Quartararo stated that's why he brought up the issues with trespassing earlier. There has been a lot of criminal activity and squatters at an abandoned home, it's been reported numerous times, but it's been allowed to continue. AC Quiocho gave an example of a house in the Puna District, where a neighborhood faced similar issues. The community came together and worked to stop and prevent issues. They boarded up the windows and placed boulders in front of the house to prevent cars from being dumped there and if there was graffiti, they painted over it right away. He advised Commissioner Quartararo that he could have community policing reach out to his neighborhood watch constituents and come up with a solution. There was further discussion regarding foreclosures, evictions, penalties, and legislation. • Traffic Report: Assistant Chief Basque reported that as of June 2, 2023, for fiscal year 22-23, in May, traffic crashes are at 830, compared to 749 last year. Traffic fatalities are at 23 compared to 30 last year. DUI arrests are at 888, compared to 944 last year.