Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2990, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to statutorily recognize crimestoppers programs. Specifically, this measure defines "crimestoppers organization"; deems all records of crimestoppers organizations as confidential and communications as privileged and prohibits their disclosure except by in camera inspection by a court where exculpatory to a defendant; and provides a mechanism to compensate persons whose tip leads to the arrest and conviction of a criminal.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Information Practices, Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney, CrimeStoppers Honolulu, Inc., Hawaii Bankers Association, and Hawaii Visitor Industry Security Association. The Judiciary provided comments.

Your Committee finds that citizens can be the best police force in the State, as they often are exposed to criminal activity when there are no law enforcement personnel in the vicinity. Your Committee believes that citizens should be encouraged to assist peace officers in ferreting out crime.

Along those lines, the CrimeStoppers program was created in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1976. There are now over 1,100 crimestoppers programs worldwide, and the program has proven very successful in galvanizing citizen involvement in crime detection and prevention.

In 1981, CrimeStoppers Honolulu, Inc., was founded by Richard Davi. Over the past 20 years, persons providing tips through the program have lead to several thousand arrests and the recovery of millions of dollars worth of property.

Your Committee fully supports the efforts of the CrimeStoppers program, and further supports this measure, to provide a statutory framework for such programs and compensating persons providing useful tips.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2990, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2990, S.D. 2.