REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT TO CONVENE A SEARCH AND RESCUE WORKING GROUP TO DEVELOP AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO DETER HIKERS FROM ENTERING ILLEGAL HIKING TRAILS AND TO ADDRESS RISING SEARCH AND RESCUE COSTS FACING THE STATE AND COUNTIES DUE TO INCREASED ILLEGAL HIKING TRAFFIC.

This Senate resolution asks the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement to create a working group to study how to stop hikers from entering closed trails and to reduce the high costs of search and rescue operations. The proposed group would include officials from law enforcement, the judiciary, and local police and fire departments to examine current fines and compare them with penalty systems used in other states. Their task is to develop recommendations for new policies or fees that hold hikers accountable for ignoring safety warnings, with a final report due to the Legislature before the 2025 session begins.