Issue Position: Reducing Property Theft

Statement

Property theft is a source of emotional and financial distress to many of us. Did you know that about 95% of all indexed crimes on Oahu are property theft?

Collectively they added up to over $55 million in losses in one year. However, our criminal justice system frequently treats property crime as a lesser priority, and consequently, our system has become a "revolving door" that never eliminates this problem.

An emerging problem for many is that property theft can now lead to identity theft, which creates a whole host of headaches and a much bigger financial risk for many people.

I'm working with other legislators on a package of bills that will target property crimes. These legislative initiatives include bills on the following:

* Make theft of an item that can lead to identity theft a Class C felony, regardless of the value of the item stolen. For example, a used laptop, cellphone or tablet may be worth less than $300 (the minimum amount necessary today to be a felony). However, these items can include data like bank account numbers and passwords, which can lead to identity theft, and far greater sums of money and/or expenses for the victim.
* Make certain repeat misdemeanor property crimes within a set time period subject to charge as a felony or career criminal.
* Increase supervised alternative education programs for juvenile offenders, to ensure kids finish school and don't continue a path to becoming adult criminals.
* Require minimum mandatory sentences for career property criminals.

Source