The Honolulu Division investigates multi-jurisdictional organizations and criminal enterprises which engage in drug trafficking, money laundering, and both traditional and non-traditional organized crime activities.  As appropriate, organized crime and counternarcotics investigations utilize sophisticated investigative techniques, operate informants, and develop criminal intelligence.  Many investigations are conducted through joint task forces such as the Organized Crime/Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) concept.  Those efforts culminate in building prosecutable cases against individuals and enterprises which engage in some of the most serious criminal offenses threatening our communities.

At the core of the FBI's Organized Crime and Counternarcotics Program is the recognition that the greatest impact on organized crime and drug trafficking groups is achieved by concentrating investigations on major international and domestic criminal organizations, and on regional groups that control significant segments of illegal activities in the United States.  The FBI's organized crime and counternarcotics investigative resources are organizational-based and intelligence-driven. Such resources are used to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations and enterprises through prosecution, as well as the seizure and forfeiture of assets derived from the proceeds of criminal activity and assets used to facilitate criminal activity.

In addition, Hawaii has been designated a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), which is funded by participating agencies and the Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington D.C. Honolulu was established as a HIDTA in June of 1999 to provide a more complete picture of illegal drug trafficking organizations than was possible through the efforts of any single law enforcement agency.

The FBI's Honolulu Division has significant responsibilities in foreign counterintelligence investigations within the United States, including espionage, and the Awareness of National Security Issues and Response (ANSIR) program.

Detection and Neutralization of Espionage

The detection and neutralization of espionage is a principal responsibility of the FBI. The FBI's efforts to detect and neutralize acts of espionage is dependent upon a robust and multifaceted counterintelligence effort, which includes information provided by the public sector.

Economic Espionage

The Economic Espionage Act of 1996 made espionage a federal felony punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment for anyone who delivers or steals a trade secret on behalf of a foreign power. A second felony was created by the statute that makes the commercial theft of trade secrets in cases not involving foreign powers a criminal act. Under the statute, a trade secret can be defined as reasonably protected proprietary information that has independent value to its rightful possessor.

InfraGard

The National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC), in partnership with private industry, has formed the National InfraGard Program.  This program is dedicated towards increasing the security of critical infrastructures in the United States.  It is founded on the principle that information exchange regarding threats and attacks to our critical infrastructures is essential for effective protection.  The goal is to enable information flow so that owners and operators can better protect themselves, and the United States government can better discharge its law enforcement and national security responsibilities.

On March 8, 2000, the Hawaii InfraGard Chapter was formed.  For more information regarding the InfraGard program, please contact the FBI Honolulu field office and ask for the InfraGard Coordinator.

Computer Crimes

Computer intrusion investigations address cyber threats and incidents that target or compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of computers and information systems, especially those associated with critical infrastructures. Title 18 U.S.C., Section 1030, outlines the offenses related to federal computer crimes.

The more common types of computer crimes on the Internet include:

  WHITE-COLLAR CRIME

FBI Honolulu's White-Collar Crime Program (WCCP) is responsible for investigating federal crimes relating to fraud, theft, or embezzlement occurring within or against the national or international financial community, as well as instances of public corruption. These crimes are categorized by deceit, concealment or violation of trust, and are not dependent upon the application or threat of physical force or violence. Such acts are committed by individuals and organizations to obtain money, property, or services; to avoid the payment or loss of money or services; or to secure personal or business advantage. FBI financial crimes investigations target such criminal activities as money laundering, health care fraud, theft of intellectual property rights, bankruptcy fraud, insurance and securities fraud, telemarketing fraud, computer fraud, financial institution fraud, fraud against the government, and environmental crimes.

The more common types of fraudulent practices include:

The criminal activity investigated by the Honolulu Division's Violent Crime and Major Offenders Program (VCMOP) includes bank robberies, kidnappings, murder for hire, crimes against children, fugitives, interstate theft, crimes on government reservations, street gangs, motorcycle gangs, extortion, crimes aboard aircraft, and assaults on federal officers. Many of these investigations are worked jointly with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

According to "Crime in Hawaii, 1998," in 1997 Hawaii ranked 41st among 50 states and the District of Columbia on the basis of resident population, for the violent index crime rate and 6th for property index crime rate.

The VCMOP Squad is dedicated to investigating criminal acts that fall within the jurisdiction of the FBI and have a major impact on Hawaii. The VCMOP Squad recognizes the need for community involvement in combating the violent criminal element operating in the Hawaiian islands, Guam and Saipan. As such, citizens are encouraged to report relevant information regarding violent crime on a confidential basis to the VCMOP Squad.

The FBI is responsible for investigating terrorist groups in the United States as well as acts of terrorism directed against Americans and American interests in the United States and overseas. The Bureau received this responsibility through a series of presidential decisions and legislative acts, including the following:

The Honolulu Division investigates alleged civil rights violations in the state of Hawaii. The FBI as a whole investigates allegations of federal civil rights violations which include racial and religious discrimination, color of law/use of excessive force or misconduct by law enforcement officials and others, involuntary servitude and slavery, violence against reproductive health facilities, and violations of the Voting Rights of 1965, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. 

The Training Program of the Honolulu Division is primarily responsible for providing training opportunities to local, county, and state law enforcement officers throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Basin. FBI Special Agents render training assistance regarding investigative and administrative aspects of law enforcement as well as specialized managerial and technical training.

Each year, at least four law enforcement officers from the vast geographic territory of the Honolulu Division are invited to attend the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia. This eleven week program provides a wide range of leadership and specialized training to mid-level law enforcement managers as well as an opportunity to share ideas, techniques, and experiences with other law enforcement professionals from around the world.

In 1991, the Honolulu Division established the Pacific Training Initiative (PTI) to provide management and investigative training to law enforcement agencies in the pacific islands of Guam, Northern Marianas, and American Samoa. In collaboration with the FBI' s International Training and Assistance Unit (ITAU), Honolulu has evolved the PTI into a training program that now includes representatives from law enforcement agencies throughout Pacific Asia as well as the Island Nations.