Law enforcement wants
to beef up bribery laws
Hawaii law enforcement officials say it's time to toughen up the state's bribery law and come up with a way to battle public corruption by creating a new criminal offense.
Under a proposal from the Hawaii Law Enforcement Coalition unveiled yesterday, bribery would be broken into two classes of offenses with the penalties upgraded.
"Our bribery statute is not modern. That offense should be a Class B felony," said Mark Bennett, state attorney general.
Under the coalition's proposal, first-degree bribery would be punishable by 10 years in prison. Bribery now has a maximum prison term of five years.
Bennett, all of the state's county prosecutors and police chiefs and the U.S. attorney in Hawaii are members of the Hawaii Law Enforcement Coalition.
Their proposal (Senate Bill 2848 and House Bill 2373) would also create a new offense -- unlawful gifts to public servants by person subject to their jurisdictions -- a Class C felony, punishable by five years in prison.
"I think it's a good idea," said Robert Watada, state Campaign Spending Commission executive director.
Watada is responsible for uncovering numerous illegal donations to Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign by people connected to engineering firms that have received city contracts.
The coalition said the state has had many instances of public corruption in the last several years and that the existing bribery statute is insufficient to deter financial misconduct by public servants.
Hawaii's top law enforcement officials also want to toughen the state's sentencing laws (SB 2844, HB 2369), loosen the requirements to conduct wiretap investigations (SB 2845, HB 2370) and amend the state Constitution to make it easier for police to search suspected drug couriers at airports (SB 2851, HB 2376) and reopen the state's sex offender registry (SB 2843, HB 2368).
They also want to implement procedures to allow judges to order trials in certain felony cases based on affidavits from police (SB 2861, HB 2386).
A legislative task force that included police, prosecutors, defense attorneys and a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union recommends implementing "information charging" for many Class B and Class C felonies.