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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS TO
    WORK TOGETHER TO IMPLEMENT THE "WATCH YOUR CARS" PROGRAM.



 1        WHEREAS, in 1986, the New York City Police Department
 2   established the "Combat Auto Theft" (CAT) program to help
 3   reduce motor vehicle theft in the city; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, the CAT program was a voluntary program that
 6   consisted of large decals applied to the rear side windows of
 7   the car authorizing the police to stop the vehicle, based on no
 8   other probable cause, if the vehicle was being driven between
 9   1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., prime time for car thieves; and
10   
11        WHEREAS, the program was successful in reducing auto theft
12   and spread to numerous jurisdictions, including those in
13   California, Arizona, Oregon, Minnesota, New Jersey, and
14   Florida; and
15   
16        WHEREAS, the federal government recognized the value of
17   this program by adopting it, renaming it the "Watch Your Cars"
18   program, and making grants to states who want to implement this
19   program; and
20   
21        WHEREAS, automobile theft is a serious problem in Hawaii,
22   especially in Honolulu, and a program like Watch Your Cars
23   could prove beneficial in controlling theft in this State; now,
24   therefore,
25   
26        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
27   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
28   of 2000, the Senate concurring, that the Attorney General is
29   requested to apply for a grant for the Watch Your Cars program
30   in the next possible funding cycle, and the chiefs of police
31   are requested to adopt the Watch Your Cars program.
32   
33        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this

 
Page 2                                                     23
                                  H.C.R. NO.            
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the attorney general
 2   and the chief of police of each county.
 3   
 4 
 5 
 6 
 7                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________