State law enforcement seeks eight FTEs, lab and storage funds to pursue illegal fireworks prosecutions

The Department of Law Enforcement told the state House Committee on Finance that it is seeking resources to make its illegal-fireworks enforcement effort sustainable, including eight full‑time positions and a leased laboratory for forensic testing.

At an informational briefing, the department said current task‑force work relies on a small team and intermittent help from other agencies, and that recent large seizures have created a backlog of hazardous material that must be inventoried, stored, analyzed and disposed of before prosecutions can proceed. “The initial start up costs on that is approximately $2,000,000 and that is absolutely necessary for us to be able to timely prosecute these cases because the analysis is necessary,” the director of the Department of Law Enforcement said when asked about startup costs for an explosives forensic laboratory.

Why it matters: Committee members flagged the fireworks issue as an urgent public‑safety concern after a New Year’s‑day explosion drew media attention. The department argued the current approach—two narcotics investigators leading task‑force actions and relying on outside agencies and the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) laboratory—cannot sustain larger, recurring seizures, complex transport and hazardous‑material disposal.

What the department asked for: The department told the committee it will request eight FTEs for the illegal‑fireworks effort: one administrator, two clerical staff and six investigators, plus leased lab space and equipment, criminalists to do the testing, safety gear and vehicles for investigators, and funds for storage and hazardous‑material disposal. The director said the department currently leases at least one storage bunker for seized explosive material at about $3,000 per month and anticipates needing multiple storage and disposal arrangements to handle large seizures.

Process and constraints: The department said after a seizure it must inventory containers at the docks, transport material to secure storage, test items to confirm they contain explosive components, do historical shipment investigations and prepare prosecution reports to the Office of the Attorney General. The director said HPD is currently the only lab that can do certain tests and that HPD’s lab is “overwhelmed.” The department described the forensic lab as critical to making cases prosecutable in a timely way.

Committee follow‑up: Members asked whether the request is part of the agency’s budget submission or a separate bill; the director said the department will provide the committee with Form A’s for the explosive‑enforcement sections and follow up on the detailed funding request. Committee members also asked the department to submit cost breakdowns and the task‑force recommendations so members can evaluate the request.

What the department said it will do next: The director said the department will provide the committee the formal Form A requests and a more detailed funding package for the fireworks‑task‑force recommendations after the briefing.

Ending: The committee did not take any formal votes during the informational briefing; members asked the department to supply written details and cost tables so lawmakers can evaluate the lab, staffing and storage requests in the next budget or supplemental.</body