STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1248_______

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: S.B. No. 223
                                     S.D. 2




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, to
which was referred S.B. No. 223, S.D. 2, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO A CANINE CORPS IN THE
     DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to establish a canine corps in
the Department of Public Safety to mitigate the proliferation of
illegal drugs in state correctional facilities.

     The Department of Public Safety testified in support of this
bill.

     The availability of illegal drugs in state correctional
facilities continues to plague prison administrators.  For
example, in the Maui correctional facility alone, 56 of its 400
inmates tested positive for methamphetamine, or more commonly
known as "ice."  Your Committee finds that one viable solution to
this problem is the use of canine units by corrections
authorities.  Dogs can be effectively trained to control, if not
eliminate, illegal drugs in prisons by screening all:

     (1)  Supplies;

     (2)  Vehicles;

     (3)  Prisoners; and


 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1248_______
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     (4)  Prison personnel;

entering and exiting a prison.

     Your Committee acknowledges the Department of Public
Safety's request for three additional permanent deputy sheriff
positions to enact this Act and respectfully requests that the
Committee on Finance review the fiscal ramifications of this
issue.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs that is attached
to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of S.B. No. 223, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Public Safety and
                                   Military Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   NESTOR R. GARCIA, Chair