Bomb detective urges
parents to be wary

By Jaymes K. Song
Star-Bulletin

Detective James Kawakami advises parents to monitor their children because he has seen enough bloodshed in six years as the Honolulu Police Department's post-blast investigator.

In the past two weeks, homemade bombs made from firecrackers or fireworks have been exploding around Oahu high schools.

On Tuesday, a homemade bomb made from an altered aerial firework was detonated at Farrington High School during school hours. When school officials investigated, they found two bombs already detonated and two which were "live."

On Monday, the remains of an exploded homemade firecracker bomb and an unexploded one were recovered from Campbell High School.

Campbell High School also experienced a firecracker bomb explosion on Nov. 23.

No injuries were reported in any of the three cases, but police are concerned.

"It's not my job just to solve cases," said Kawakami, a 29-year veteran of the force. "I do care. And I don't want to see people suffer."

Kawakami can't express enough how dangerous bombs made of fireworks are.

"This is dangerous, man," he said, adding that it can easily cause death or bodily injury. "It's not a plaything. It's an instrument of destruction."

And with fireworks readily available because of the approaching New Year's holiday, he's expecting the worst.

"Homemade devices do not discriminate based on color, creed or race," he said. "All it knows is destruction."

He said most of the people who make homemade bombs do not direct the blast at any person or organization. They do it for fun, or as a joke.

"It's a prank," Kawakami said. "They just don't realize pranks do backfire."

And the consequences are often overlooked. The person cannot only be injured or killed, he or she can face criminal charges, be expelled from school or injure someone else.

"If you play, you might have to pay one day," he said. "I've been doing this since 1993 and a lot of people have paid."

In Kawakami's six years investigating explosions and bombs, he has smelled the freshly burned gun powder, witnessed people after they've been maimed and heard the cries of family members.

It's difficult witnessing the anguish a family experiences while watching their child or loved one get their hand reconstructed, he said.

Kawakami said he wants to prevent tragedies from happening more than make arrests. The motto he lives by is: "Safety before anything."