HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	197
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT TO ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE ON ETHICAL POLICING TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY AND IMPACT OF WEED AND SEED PROGRAMS IN THE STATE.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, Weed and Seed programs were originally developed by former President George H. W. Bush and involve increased policing in communities having high crime rates; and

 

     WHEREAS, evidence suggests that this strategy disproportionately targets marginalized communities and results in the militarization or over-policing of low-income neighborhoods; and

 

     WHEREAS, the program may also result in unjustly high criminal sentences for persons who are arrested in designated Weed and Seed areas; and

 

     WHEREAS, a reevaluation of Hawaii's Weed and Seed programs is needed to ensure that the programs are effective at reducing crime without militarizing the State's neighborhoods or disproportionately impacting marginalized communities; now, therefore

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the Department of Law Enforcement is urged to establish a task force on ethical policing to evaluate the efficacy and impact of Weed and Seed programs in the State; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to comprise:

 

     (1)  A representative from the Department of the Attorney General;

 

     (2)  A representative from each branch office of the Office of the Public Defender;

 

     (3)  A representative from the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for each county;

 

     (4)  A representative from the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission;

 

     (5)  A representative from the Judiciary;

 

     (6)  A representative from the Department of Law Enforcement;

 

     (7)  A representative from the Office of the Governor;

 

     (8)  The President of the Senate, or the President's designee;

 

     (9)  The Speaker of the House of Representatives, or the Speaker's designee;

 

    (10)  A representative from the University of Hawaii College of Social Sciences having a background in criminal justice research;

 

    (11)  A representative from an organization involved with the communities affected by Weed and Seed programs, to be selected and invited to participate by the chair of the task force; and

 

    (12)  A member of the public having a background in criminal justice work, to be selected and invited to participate by the chair of the task force; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is urged to use crime, arrest, prosecution, and policing data from the onset of Weed and Seed programs in Hawaii, compiled with the assistance of the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, to evaluate the efficacy and impact of Weed and Seed programs in Hawaii, including the programs' effect on:

 

     (1)  Crime rates in designated Weed and Seed areas;

 

     (2)  Crime rates in communities adjacent to designated Weed and Seed areas;

 

     (3)  Arrest rates in designated Weed and Seed areas for persons who are black, indigenous, or persons of color, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders;

 

     (4)  Arrest rates in designated Weed and Seed areas for low-income persons and unsheltered persons;

 

     (5)  Average sentence lengths for persons arrested in designated Weed and Seed areas and convicted of the subject offense;

 

     (6)  The average number of law enforcement officers present in designated Weed and Seed areas; and

 

     (7)  The perception of residents and workers in designated Weed and Seed areas of the quality and frequency of their encounters with law enforcement officers; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Attorney General, Public Defender, Prosecuting Attorney from each county, Chief Justice, Director of Law Enforcement, Dean of the University of Hawaii College of Social Sciences, and Administrator of the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center.

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Weed and Seed; Law Enforcement; Ethical Policing; Task Force