MAUI CRIME SPREE GROWS

A dramatic increase in crime sweeps Maui as police are swamped and local
communities on alert. "Big drug dealers need tougher sentences." Citizen
action urged.

On July 1, after a day at work, Doug Baker came home to his Kihei residence
to find that the place had been broken into, ransacked and basically
"cleaned out" of all of his possessions. He lost cameras, jewelry, a coin
collection, a variety of tools, a CD player, and a knife collection. Baker
estimated the loss at around $7,000."Working in the construction and
maintenance field, I need my tools to be employable," said Baker,
"everything's gone, my air compressor, grinders, nail gun...everything."

Evidently, the burglar who hit Baker's home knew what he was doing. All of
the items that he stole were basically re-sellable. According to MPD Chief
Tom Phillips, it's "unlikely to recover all of stolen material that can be
sold on the streets". That's the reality facing Baker, who now has to
re-buy tools and equipment just to get back to work.

Baker's experience is not isolated. Recently Maui has seen a dramatic
increase in property crimes, car thefts and bank fraud. Police seem
hard-pressed to handle the increase in crime--an increase that has taxed
all aspects of law enforcement on the island.

"We're now experiencing an increase of car thefts. There's about one a day
here on the island. People think that because Maui is an island there is
little of that. Not true," the chief said.

Bank fraud has also become quite prevalent.

"We see police officers here at the bank almost every day investigating the
newest form of bank robbery," according to Susie Saunders, Kihei branch
manager of the First Hawaiian Bank in Kihei. "People who put their bank
deposits in their mail boxes are the targets of this crime. The crooks
simply empty the mail boxes, remove the checks and with computers and laser
printers create new checks."

Saunders cautions her clients, "Never put credit card payments or check
deposits in your mail box for pick up by the mail carriers. You could
become a target of stolen identity or just plain bank fraud."

Phillips also has cautions for Maui visitors.

"A visitor will come here thinking Maui is paradise, only to get their car
stolen or their valuables lifted while they're at the beach."

Besides the financial hardships that follow a burglary, there are also a
lot of emotional costs that the victims pay.

"It gets harder every day," said Baker, "You wonder if this person is going
to come back. I'm left with an uneasy feeling, and desperately want to get
this person off our streets."

There have been no arrests made in Baker's case, and the frustration that
he feels builds daily. Other houses near his property have also been
burglarized. The word on the street is that this particular thief may have
a costly drug addiction which pushes him to rob innocent Kihei residents.

"On Maui, the drug of choice seems to be crystal methamphetamine," also
known as ice or batu, Chief Phillips said. "Eighty, eighty-five percent of
drug using criminals have been found to be using methamphetamine. It's safe
to say that most of the crime being committed on Maui is linked to drugs in
some way. Domestic violence can occur when people are high, or aggravated
by coming down, and a lot of people resort to stealing to support their habit."

As previously reported in the Maui Weekly, Ice is known to be highly
addictive; cause aggressive behavior, even psychosis; and brain damage.
This reality makes a lot of people fearful to relay information to the
police on known criminals because they fear retaliation from the addict
because of their erratic behavior.

"It's unfortunate," said Baker, "because we need to get these criminals put
away so that our communities will be a safer place to be."

Chief Phillips said that there is no one answer to the problems of property
crime and drug use.

"When it comes to drugs, there's the system of education, enforcement and
treatment. We can educate the people of Maui on the dangers of drug use; we
can work on cutting the supply at the source; and we can treat addicts,"
the chief said.

Phillips believes that severe penalties for big-time drug dealers is one
possible step towards an answer.

"When I say this, I'm not talking about petty users, or street dealers, I'm
talking about the guys at the top who are shipping massive amounts of drugs
in from the mainland. We need to treat them as the worst type of criminal
out there, because they are. These people supply the bulk of the drugs that
instigates crime and cause people to reek havoc on our islands. I want to
see the day when these dealers receive a mandatory life sentence without
parole."

Such a harsh response would make these criminals think twice before
engaging in the drug running business.

"As it is now," Chief Phillips said, "these dealers are making maybe a
million dollars a year with the threat of only a few years of actual prison
time. A lot of them think it's worth it, and they will keep on doing it."

"On the subject of property crime, people need to take precautions," he
said, "Lock your doors, never take anything of value to the beach and leave
it in your car-- locked or not. When you go out at night, it's a good habit
to leave a bedroom light on or the TV. Also, people should try to mark
their belongings in a way that they can be identified. Write your initials
on things and keeping track of serial numbers. It may seem tedious, but you
need to be able to clearly identify recovered property as yours for the
department to be able to return it to you."

To further help prevent your house from being burglarized, the Chief
recommends getting a dog that barks, installing motion sensitive outdoor
lights, and to cut back shrubbery that may make the property secluded and
therefore an easier target.

Upon request the Police Department will inspect your property and make
suggestions on what you can do to prevent your home from being an easy target.

"Our citizens patrol group is also a good asset to the community," said
Phillips, "These people are volunteers who are in uniform and a marked car.
They patrol areas and let us know of any suspicious activity."

If a crime has already been committed there are some basic things that the
victim and the MPD can do to try to recover stolen goods and "catch" the
criminal.

The first step upon being robbed is to immediate call the police. They will
come to the place of the crime, document items that are missing, and if
applicable try to take finger prints from the scene.

If the items that were taken were re-sellable, Chief Phillips encourages
people to check the Maui Bulletin, Swap Meet and Pawn Shops for the items.
The department also has a task force that continually checks these places
for stolen goods.

If you think you may have found stolen item, contact the police and they
will check the lead for you. Another idea is to publish a list of the
stolen items in a local paper. This way you will alert potential buyers
that the merchandise being offered to them may be stolen.

Another approach is a more proactive approach to property crime, "If there
seems to be a crime spree targeted to a certain area we can hold a stake
out," said Phillips. "This takes a lot of manpower, but sometimes we are
able to catch the perpetrator red handed."

If you are concerned that your property is a potential target for a crime,
contact the MPD at 244-6400 to schedule a time for an officer to come by
the property and point out areas that could be changed and devices that can
be installed to protect you.

"People really don't know what it feels like to be a victim until they are
one," said Doug Baker.

"Besides wanting to get my stuff back, I really want to rid the town of
these criminals-- almost makes me want to join the police force, just to
know that I was doing an active part in helping the community."