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Isle farmers, who are losing millions of dollars to crop thieves each year, are disappointed that the best the state Legislature has come up with to fight the problem is to create a task force. Farmers see little
action on crop theftsBy Stephanie Healea
shealea@starbulletin.comMorton Bassan, a Big Island citrus grower, complained that lawmakers did not advance a bill that would have required buyers of large quantities of isle crops to keep stricter records. Without complete records on who is selling crops to the big buyers, the state Department of Agriculture will be unable to prosecute crop and livestock thefts, he said.
"You took the hammer, saw and screwdriver out of their toolbox so they can't build the house," said Bassan, who noted that he has lost nearly $2 million in crops over the last three years.
The proposal for stricter record-keeping and another bill for stricter penalties for crop thieves failed to get past the House and Senate agriculture committees.
Legislators instead advanced a bill to create an interagency task force that would combine representatives from the farming community, the Department of Agriculture, and state and county law enforcement agencies and prosecutors. The bill (HB 2271) passed the House and now goes to the Senate. The goal of the task force would be to educate the public and develop ways to prevent and prosecute future thefts without changing current laws.
Agricultural theft is a widespread problem in Hawaii with many farmers reporting theft of products, animals, tools and equipment as well as damages to gates and fences.
Larry Jefts, who owns several large Oahu farms, said he loses between $2,000 and $3,000 a week in fruits and vegetables. The banana fields on the North Shore have been especially hard hit recently, he said.
Jefts noted that thieves also often steal equipment and tools as well as vandalize gates, equipment and other property, costing the farms another $500 to $1,000 a week.
Jefts said that in the last seven or eight years, they have seen seven thieves convicted of felonies.
Michael O'Brien, general manager of Dole Food Co. Hawaii, said he can only give a broad estimate of the cost of fruit thefts from his company in the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Dole spends more than $200,000 a year for security alone, he said.
O'Brien also reported extensive thefts of tools and equipment and noted the high cost of trying to prevent such losses. "Last year, we probably spent $40,000 putting in gates."
Of the task force bill, he said, "I think anything is an improvement, but if it's just adding to the bureaucracy," it is almost not worth the time and effort.
Likewise, Tish Uyehara, deputy chairwoman of the Agriculture Department, said the department does not want an all-talk, no-action task force. But she added that if everyone takes "responsibility, with some very specific discussion and commitment" to act, progress can be made.
Senate Agricultural Chairwoman Jan Yagi Buen (D, West Maui-Molokai-Lanai) said all parties involved want to do something to help in ways that will not be a burden to farmers and ranchers, retailers or officials who investigate and prosecute the thefts.
Buen said her committee would ask the Legislature to allocate a total of $50,000. The amount would fund production of an informational video, pay to print brochures and defray the cost of any overtime so police and Department of Agriculture officials can investigate crop thefts more extensively.
Educating the public that it is important to speak up about suspicious or known criminal activity is a key component, said Uyehara. It is also important to inform police who are not trained about rural crimes such as crop thefts, she said.
HPD detective Capt. Carlton Nishimura said if the Legislature creates a task force, the police will participate. Like Uyehara, Nishimura wants to see all parties work together, to make "victims of these thefts knowledgeable about what is ... necessary for the police to look for to be able to prosecute."
Farmers need to make note and call when they suspect that stolen crops are being sold, he said.