![]() ![]() Not surprisingly, 88% of alleged offenders were men. ![]() Likewise, no one in Hawaii Kai and very few in Kahala got cited – though both of those well-off neighborhoods are no strangers to fireworks. ![]() Fireworks citations do not provide an exact picture of where illegal fireworks are being shot off – just where people are being caught.Ĭivil Beat’s analysis found hotspots in Kalihi, Waipahu, Wahiawa and Ewa Beach – all places that are known anecdotally for prodigious pyrotechnics.īut residents of other parts of the island might be surprised to know that no one was cited in their neighborhoods over the past five years – Waimanalo, for instance. Regardless, the HPD citations provide a snapshot of where fireworks citations occur and who’s on the receiving end.įirst the where. ‘Can I Get A Break? I’m A Financial Adviser.’ “Laws are enacted, violations are addressed by law enforcement however, most cases tend to be dismissed,” according to a 2019 report by the Legislative Reference Bureau. In a 2019 report, HPD cited the lack of prosecutions as one of the primary hurdles to cracking down on illicit fireworks. Many witnesses are reluctant to testify in court, sometimes because they are loath to agitate a neighbor, he said.īut the vast majority of citations are issued when police officers on patrol see someone set off a illegal firework, and Alm’s office did not explain why most of these are dropped.īaehr cited the difficulty of proving that a device meets the legal definition of a “firework” or “aerial device” since the evidence “explodes in the sky.” But again, HPD officers often confiscate the spent explosives and ones that have not been set off yet. Prosecutions are hard because they require witnesses to identify the person who set off the fireworks, Brooks Baehr, a spokesman for Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm, said in a written statement. Badua could not be reached for comment.Īnd in the few cases that actually result in a guilty plea, the fines add up to little more than fiscal couch change – a mere $1,055 over five years, according to the cases provided by the Judiciary. In 94% of cases over the past five years – as in Badua’s cases – the charges are simply dismissed, according to a Civil Beat analysis of data provided by the state Judiciary. It serves, in some measure, to placate members of the public up in arms over the months-long fusillade of illegal pyrotechnics leading up to New Year’s Eve.īut the enforcement numbers add up to little more than theater. A month later, the charges were dismissed.Įach year, Honolulu police cite dozens of fireworks scofflaws, usually when patrolling officers on New Year’s Eve witness them in public places shooting off aerials, which are illegal. Police found him sitting in a car and cited him. She watched him on a moped setting up the device on the street and riding away as it exploded - twice. (Department of Public Safety)Īnd in October, a woman called to report Badua had set off fireworks at an intersection in Aiea. Allan Badua was cited at least three times for fireworks violations. ![]()
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