MAUI POLICE CALL LAWMAKER'S CRITICISM OF DARE PROGRAM 'OFFENSIVE'

WAILUKU -- The Maui Police Department calls state Rep. Joe Bertram
III's criticism of its DARE program "offensive."

In a letter sent last week to MPD, Bertram suggested that the
department eliminate marijuana eradication programs and the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education program, which has police officers teaching an
anti-drug and anti-alcohol curriculum in elementary and intermediate
schools.

Eight Maui police officers, including ones in Hana and on Molokai and
Lanai, teach in 26 public and private schools throughout Maui County.
The instruction, which includes teaching children to resist peer
pressure, occurs for students in kindergarten, third and fifth grades
and either seventh or eighth grades.

In the letter dated April 15, Bertram said the DARE program "has
proven to be unsuccessful." He said the marijuana eradication program
"infringes on the privacy of medical marijuana patients, and the noise
(from helicopter surveillance) is a disturbance of the peace."

Bertram's letter said he was suggesting that the two programs be cut
because the state and counties are facing a budget crunch.

"Even though these are passing through federal funds, the County of
Maui expends funds on these programs, which could be eliminated,"
Bertram said.

The Democrat, who represents South Maui, has pushed for state
legislation to allow secure marijuana-growing facilities for medical
marijuana patients registered in the state. Current law allows
registered patients or a designated caregiver to grow three mature
marijuana plants and four immature plants and to possess up to 3
ounces of usable marijuana. Bertram, who has said he is a registered
medical marijuana caregiver, also has supported decriminalizing
possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana.

Responding to Bertram's letter, Maui police Deputy Chief Gary Yabuta
said, "We were quite aware of Representative Bertram's position on the
legalization of marijuana issue. However, we find his criticism of the
DARE Program offensive."

In March, police Chief Tom Phillips raised the prospect of having to
cut back crime-prevention programs, including school resource officers
and DARE, if funding for positions were cut.

But at a Maui County Police Commission meeting last week, Phillips
said more recent funding proposals have called for cutting funding for
25 police positions instead of the 37 positions estimated earlier.

"Right now, we're not planning any cuts," he said.

If prevention programs need to be cut, Phillips said, a first step
would be to have officers work part time in such programs so that they
also can work in patrol and reduce overtime hours there.