Kokua Line June Watanabe

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City and state laws ban cockfighting

Question:While walking along Kamehameha Highway in Kipapa Gulch between Waipio Gentry and Mililani on a Sunday a while back, I saw an area with dozens of rooster hutches and a crowd of men. They were holding the roosters and letting them peck at each other, and then it looked like they were dropping them on the ground to see if they'd fight. I've heard that cockfighting is illegal in Hawaii, but I don't know the rules about raising the roosters and what those men were doing. Was I witnessing a crime? What part of cockfighting is illegal?

Answer:There are two laws here that make cockfighting illegal, according to Capt. Frank Fujii, spokesman for the Honolulu Police Department: one regarding the use of gaffs, and the other covering cruelty to animals.

Under Section 7-1.2 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, it is against the law to manufacture, buy, sell, exchange or have "gaffs or slashers, or any other sharp instrument designed to be attached in place of or to the natural spur of a gamecock or other fighting fowl."

The penalty is a fine of $50 to $1,000 and/or 30 days in jail.

But even if a gaff is not used, "if the bird handlers entice the birds to fight," police could still arrest participants under the cruelty to animals law, Fujii said.

Section 711-1109 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes makes it a misdemeanor offense if anyone "keeps, uses, or in any way is connected with or interested in the management of, or receives money for the admission of any person to, any place kept or used for the purpose of fighting or baiting any bull, bear, dog, cock, or other animal, and every person who encourages, aids, or assists therein, or who permits or suffers any place to be so kept or used."

When in doubt, Fujii said to just call HPD's Narcotics/Vice Division at 529-3101 or the Gambling Detail at 529-3475.

However, he said it is more difficult to "bust" people for gambling because "it's hard to witness those violations."

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Q:Is it legal for a company doing work on Ka Uka Boulevard, between Ukee and Puahi streets, to block the right lane? For two weeks they coned off a portion of the lane for cement and other big trucks. Aren't they supposed to provide sufficient warning? There is no sign warning drivers of the lane blockage, and only four cones are used to merge the right lane into the left lane. The worst part is that this is being done during the afternoon rush hour.

A:In this case a contractor was hired to put in curb ramps in the area, said Ty Fukumitsu, traffic engineer with the city Department of Transportation Services.

The contractor has since finished the work you cite but is still installing ramps in the Waipio area.

The company was "reminded" that it must comply with contract requirements, including putting up adequate warning signs and completing work before 3:30 p.m. -- before the afternoon rush hour, Fukumitsu said.

If you find this is not the case, he advised calling HPD at 911 or the Department of Transportation Services at 527-6009.