CITY TOPS IN ARRESTEES ON 'ICE'

Honolulu had the highest percentage of crystal meth-amphetamine use among
men arrested on the island compared with 30 other U.S. cities last year, and
police say people hooked on "ice" have contributed to Hawai'i's high rate of
thefts.

Nearly 40 percent of the men who were arrested by the Honolulu Police
Department from January 2001 to September 2001 tested positive for crystal
methamphetamine, according to the national Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring
program, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Justice.

"It obviously shows we have an extremely serious problem in Honolulu," said
Andrew Ovenden, the Honolulu program site coordinator and one of the
researchers. "It means we have a serious public health issue that needs to
be addressed."

Maj. Darryl Perry of the Honolulu Police Department's Narcotics/Vice
Division said the results of the report did not surprise him. Perry said
there seems to be a correlation between ice use and property crime, and that
ice users have been involved in burglaries, shopliftings, robberies, purse
snatchings and car thefts.

"This drug is so addictive that people need money to support their habit,"
Perry said. "Whatever means is out there to get the money to buy the drug,
they're going to do it."

Last year, Hawai'i was ranked with the highest rate of thefts in the nation
based on reports of those crimes in 2000, according to statistics gathered
by the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program.

Statistics for 2001 were not available and a crime expert declined to say if
Hawai'i's theft rate last year continued to be the highest in the nation.

In Hawai'i, there were 3,570 larceny-theft crimes (thefts excluding motor
vehicle thefts) per 100,000 people in 2000. The overall property crime rate
was 4,955 per 100,000.

Typically, Hawai'i ranks high in thefts and other property crimes and low in
violent crimes, said Paul Perrone, chief of research and statistics at the
Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Division of the attorney general's
office.

"One factor is considering the state's population distribution, we're
essentially a large city," he said. "And crime rates are based on resident
population as a denominator. We have a high de facto population because of
all the tourists here, but we don't get to count those people as residents."

In addition, Perrone cited a common theory that Hawai'i statistics include a
high rate of thefts because people here feel more willing to report
relatively petty crimes.

"Because there is less of the violent street crime, our police are able to
respond and are willing to do so," he said.

Perrone said serious crime increased last year, but he could not say by how
much. He said the increase would be less than what Hawai'i experienced in
2000 when the serious crime rate increased 7.5 percent.

The report ranked Honolulu's arrestees the highest for crystal
methamphetamine use -- 38.1 percent -- followed by Sacramento, Calif., at
28.8 percent; San Jose, Calif., at 27.7 percent; and San Diego at 27.3
percent.

Hawai'i was one of the first places in the country where the drug made its
appearance. The drug began arriving in Hawai'i in large amounts in 1985. It
was such a new drug that police weren't sure what it was. The pure ice
crystals came primarily from the Philippines, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan
and Japan. Users quickly became hooked and bypassed cocaine and marijuana.
Hawai'i sees more of the drug's crystal form than the powder form.

Ovenden said researchers randomly selected and interviewed 422 people who
were arrested in Honolulu on various crimes. The people volunteered to be
interviewed and 89.2 percent of those people completed urine tests that were
used for the report, he said.

Since January 2000, crystal methamphetamine use among Honolulu arrestees has
increased slightly, and in the first quarter of this year, the statistics
"spiked significantly" more than 40 percent, Ovenden said.

Ovenden said Hawai'i has a high crystal methamphetamine use because the drug
is fairly easily to smuggle and transport. He also said demand is high in
Hawai'i.

Perry said police have arrested hundreds of people in the past few years on
suspicion of possession or trafficking in crystal methamphetamine. In 2000,
police initiated 699 cases and arrested 480 people; last year police
initiated 630 cases and arrested 514 people. From January through May of
this year, police initiated 220 cases and arrested 164 people.

Last year, police confiscated 76 pounds of crystal methamphetamine that had
a street value of $7 million, Perry said. This year they have confiscated 22
pounds worth almost $2 million, he said. The price of crystal
methamphetamine in Hawai'i peaked at $10,000 per ounce in 1997 and decreased
to $2,500 to $3,000 per ounce in 2000, according to U.S. Department of
Justice statistics.

Perry said HPD has dedicated 75 percent of its narcotics/vice division for
drug offenses which mainly deal with ice. To curb the problem, Perry said
the Police Department needs to join forces with other agencies such as the
prosecutor's office, court system, corrections department and the Department
of Heath. He said the drug court program is helping.

"We have to look at education, treatment and rehabilitation," Perry said.
"We can't just treat the people. We need some support system to back them
up. We cannot just put them back into the same environment where they came
from. It's a complex issue that involves everyone.

"We're doing our job, we are arresting people and confiscating drugs," Perry
said. "We're out there. But you see the problem. Property crime is still
up."