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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Maui County Council DRIP Committee Meeting on JTTF Agreement, E-Bike Safety, and Technology – January 28, 2026

County Council & Committees — Wednesday, January 28, 2026

BodyMaui County, Hawaii

SessionCounty Council & Committees

DateWednesday, January 28, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:34:13

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

2:46

Will the second disaster recovery international affairs and planning committee meeting of January twenty twenty twenty-six come to order.

2:55

This is the ten AM meeting.

2:56

My sincere apologies.

2:58

We're gaveling in at eleven fifteen.

3:00

Um, there was more talking than I anticipated in the first agenda, which is items that we will be voting on or voting on in the near future before the next council meeting.

3:12

Um if everyone can please silence our cell phones or any other noise-making devices.

3:17

My name is Tamara Paultain, and I will be your committee chair for today.

3:22

In accordance, members, in accordance with the Sunshine Law.

3:25

If you're not in the council chamber, please identify by name who, if anyone is in the room, vehicle or workspace with you today, minors do not need to be identified.

3:34

Also, please see the last page of the agenda for information on meeting connectivity with uh uh us today.

3:40

We have committee vice chair No Hilani U Hodgins.

3:42

Aloha.

3:43

Aloha, everyone.

3:44

Aloha chair.

3:45

Aloha.

3:46

And uh member Kawanoi Batangan.

3:49

Aloha.

3:49

Aloha cow.

3:51

Member Tom Cook, aloha.

3:54

Member Gabe Johnson is excused.

3:56

I believe he's meeting with Miss Tokura.

3:58

Um Chirlee.

4:00

Are you there?

4:04

Okay, well, we'll see her when she's here.

4:06

Umber Rollins Fernandez also said she had to leave.

4:17

Uh that doesn't mean that this is any less important than the other one.

4:22

So Mahalo.

4:24

Yeah, we're just taking it up as it goes.

4:26

Member Sugimura, aloha.

4:28

Aloha.

4:30

Okay.

5:00

as documented in a 2021 scholarly article for the National Lawyers Guild Review by Andrew Reed, adjunct professor of law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

5:10

Generations of Kanaka Maui and their knowledge systems have sustainably cared for Hawaii and continue to do so.

5:17

We are grateful to occupy this space and learn the ways in which we can contribute.

5:22

As a committee, we seek to support the varied strategies that the indigenous peoples of Hawaii are using to protect their land in their communities and commit to dedicating time and resources to working in solidarity.

5:34

From the administration, um it says we have assistant chief Joy Medeos for Drip 696 and 9-8, John Pelletier, police chief department of police for Drip 9-7, Wade Maeda, Deputy Police Chief Department of Police Drip 9 7, Mike Hopper, Deputy Corporation Counsel, as well as Tom Colby, Deputy Corporation Council, other resources.

6:14

Without objection, I will designate individuals mentioned as resource persons under Rule 18A of the rules of the council.

6:21

Jake Carton and Marnie Masuda Cleveland are affiliated with Maui Indivisible, a citizens advocacy group.

6:27

Lee Chamberlain serves as the advocacy chair for the Maui Bicycling League, the Maui chapter of the Hawaii Bicycling League.

6:35

Committee staff, we have senior committee secretary Yvette Boutelier, legislative analysts, Jared Pasqual and Kione Hurdle, legislative attorney Carla Nakata and Assistant Clerk Jean Pokipala.

6:47

On the agenda today, we have three 7B presentations.

6:51

The first of which, 9-7, is discussion on Bill 92 CD 1 25 authorizing the mayor to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a joint terrorism task force.

7:06

We will um be receiving opening comments and any presentations before opening up testimony, and then we'll open testimony, close it, and have uh discussion amongst the members and move on to our next agenda item.

7:19

We do normally take a lunch break from 12 to 130.

7:23

So that's just my disclaimer.

7:25

Um at this time we'll start with oh member Lee.

7:30

Aloha, and welcome to the proceedings.

7:34

Um, so we'll start with opening comments from the police.

7:37

Move over to opening comments and presentation from Maui Indivisible, and Member Sugi Mura, who where the bill is actually in her Fed committee, would also like to provide opening comments.

7:48

So that will be the order.

7:50

Police indivisible, member Sugi Mura.

7:53

Go ahead, uh, Chief.

7:54

Any opening comments or presentation?

7:57

Thank you.

7:58

Aloha.

7:59

This is reference drip 9-7.

8:02

On Tuesday morning, September 11th, 2001.

8:06

Our nation suffered an attack that killed over 3,000 individuals.

8:10

In 2002, MPD entered into an MOU with the FBI to help prevent further attacks by being a participant in the joint terrorism task force.

8:20

Every change in leadership at the federal level, at the state level, whether it's MPD, the special agent in charge, updates the MOU.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████47%

Transportation Safety████████████████17%

Procedural███████████11%

Legal Counsel███████7%

Immigration Policy██████6%

Technology and Innovation█████5%

Procurement███3%

Civil Rights█1%

Legislation█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Maui County Council Disaster Recovery, International Affairs & Planning Committee Meeting – January 28, 2026

The committee convened at 11:15 AM (originally scheduled for 10:00 AM) under Chair Tamara Paulton to discuss three informational items under Rule 7B: the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) intergovernmental agreement (Bill 92 CD1), electric bicycle safety, and strengthening public safety through technology. No legislative votes were taken.

Consent Calendar

None.

Public Comments & Testimony

Marnie Masuda (Maui Indivisible): Expressed concern that the JTTF MOU, under the current administration, opens the door to policing dissent and targeting communities, citing the murder of a woman in Minnesota by a JTTF officer. She urged the council to reject the agreement.
Jake Carton (Maui Indivisible): Detailed legal arguments that the MOU creates a financial obligation (county pays salaries of assigned officers) and gives the FBI operational control. He argued the budget committee's findings were incorrect and requested a full public hearing. He urged a no vote and renegotiation with safeguards.
Chief John Pelletier (MPD): Stated the MOU is solely about terrorism prevention, not immigration enforcement. He announced he will pull the current MOU back to add explicit language prohibiting immigration enforcement involvement.
Member Yuki Sugimura (BFED Chair): Clarified the timeline and that she will recommend disapproving Bill 92 at the February 10 BFED meeting. She expressed support for rejecting the agreement.
Public testifiers (Donald Adam James, Annie Nelson, Gail Swanson, Kelly King, James Langford, Kahala Johnson, Anne [last name unknown], and others): All opposed the JTTF agreement, citing civil liberties, the Minnesota incident, historical parallels with Japanese internment, and distrust of federal agencies under the Trump administration. Several urged the council to vote no.
E-bike testimony (Mr. Chamberlain, testifier on e-bikes): Stressed that large retailers sell e-bikes to children under 15, violating state age requirements, and recommended parent liability legislation similar to California.
Technology testimony (Kiny Nishiki): Advocated for expanded use of camera and light towers in high-crime areas, noting MPD's no-chase policy emboldens criminals. She suggested shared resources across county departments.

Discussion Items

1. FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Agreement (Bill 92 CD1)

Chief Pelletier and Assistant Chief Joy Medeiros explained that MPD has participated in the JTTF since 2002 via successive MOUs. The current MOU remains in effect even if Bill 92 is rejected. Chief Pelletier will renegotiate language to clarify no immigration enforcement.
Jake Carton countered that the contract locks officers in for two years, gives the FBI supervisory control, and contains no limit on the number of officers assigned. He argued the county cannot unilaterally terminate the agreement.
Several council members (Rollins Fernandez, Cook, Sinansi, Johnson, Batangan) expressed distrust of federal agencies and indicated they would vote against the bill. Member Sugimura confirmed she will recommend disapproval at BFED on February 10.
Council members asked MPD to provide copies of past MOUs and information on currently assigned JTTF officers and their commitment dates.

2. Electric Bicycle Safety

Lee Chamberlain (Maui Bicycling League) presented on e-bike classifications, safety concerns, and California's 2026 reforms (parent liability, mandatory UL battery certification, labeling). He distinguished e-bikes from e-motorcycles (which are not street-legal).
Assistant Chief Medeiros reported 134 e-bike-related calls in 2025, resulting in 28 juvenile arrests and 12 bike seizures. Many incidents involve e-motorcycles (high-powered devices marketed as e-bikes).
Council members discussed the need for education, registration enforcement, and legislation. Member Cook noted his committee will handle e-bike legislation. Chair Lee shared her experience with registration difficulties.

3. Strengthening Public Safety Through Technology

Assistant Chief Medeiros outlined MPD's current technologies (body cameras, e-citations, e-warrants, rapid DNA testing, upcoming real-time operations center, drones) and plans to expand drone use as a first responder.
Council members raised questions about surveillance vs. privacy, community outreach, and the need for public education. Members noted that MPD does not currently use sound-measuring devices or intersection cameras beyond license plate readers.
MPD agreed to present technology plans at future town halls and include budget requests for the upcoming fiscal year.

Key Outcomes

Bill 92 CD1 (JTTF agreement): No vote taken. Member Sugimura will recommend disapproval at the February 10 BFED committee meeting. Chief Pelletier will pull the current MOU for renegotiation. MPD will provide historical MOUs and current officer assignment details to the council.
E-bike safety: Informational only. Legislation will be handled by Member Cook's committee. Council may consider parent liability provisions similar to California.
Technology: Informational only. MPD will engage in community education and include technology proposals in the upcoming budget.
Meeting adjourned at 4:20 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Will the second disaster recovery international affairs and planning committee meeting of January twenty twenty twenty-six come to order. This is the ten AM meeting. My sincere apologies. We're gaveling in at eleven fifteen. Um, there was more talking than I anticipated in the first agenda, which is items that we will be voting on or voting on in the near future before the next council meeting. Um if everyone can please silence our cell phones or any other noise-making devices. My name is Tamara Paultain, and I will be your committee chair for today. In accordance, members, in accordance with the Sunshine Law. If you're not in the council chamber, please identify by name who, if anyone is in the room, vehicle or workspace with you today, minors do not need to be identified. Also, please see the last page of the agenda for information on meeting connectivity with uh uh us today. We have committee vice chair No Hilani U Hodgins. Aloha. Aloha, everyone. Aloha chair. Aloha. And uh member Kawanoi Batangan. Aloha. Aloha cow. Member Tom Cook, aloha. Member Gabe Johnson is excused. I believe he's meeting with Miss Tokura. Um Chirlee. Are you there? Okay, well, we'll see her when she's here. Umber Rollins Fernandez also said she had to leave. Uh that doesn't mean that this is any less important than the other one. So Mahalo. Yeah, we're just taking it up as it goes. Member Sugimura, aloha. Aloha. Okay. as documented in a 2021 scholarly article for the National Lawyers Guild Review by Andrew Reed, adjunct professor of law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Generations of Kanaka Maui and their knowledge systems have sustainably cared for Hawaii and continue to do so. We are grateful to occupy this space and learn the ways in which we can contribute. As a committee, we seek to support the varied strategies that the indigenous peoples of Hawaii are using to protect their land in their communities and commit to dedicating time and resources to working in solidarity. From the administration, um it says we have assistant chief Joy Medeos for Drip 696 and 9-8, John Pelletier, police chief department of police for Drip 9-7, Wade Maeda, Deputy Police Chief Department of Police Drip 9 7, Mike Hopper, Deputy Corporation Counsel, as well as Tom Colby, Deputy Corporation Council, other resources. Without objection, I will designate individuals mentioned as resource persons under Rule 18A of the rules of the council. Jake Carton and Marnie Masuda Cleveland are affiliated with Maui Indivisible, a citizens advocacy group. Lee Chamberlain serves as the advocacy chair for the Maui Bicycling League, the Maui chapter of the Hawaii Bicycling League. Committee staff, we have senior committee secretary Yvette Boutelier, legislative analysts, Jared Pasqual and Kione Hurdle, legislative attorney Carla Nakata and Assistant Clerk Jean Pokipala. On the agenda today, we have three 7B presentations. The first of which, 9-7, is discussion on Bill 92 CD 1 25 authorizing the mayor to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a joint terrorism task force. We will um be receiving opening comments and any presentations before opening up testimony, and then we'll open testimony, close it, and have uh discussion amongst the members and move on to our next agenda item. We do normally take a lunch break from 12 to 130. So that's just my disclaimer. Um at this time we'll start with oh member Lee. Aloha, and welcome to the proceedings. Um, so we'll start with opening comments from the police. Move over to opening comments and presentation from Maui Indivisible, and Member Sugi Mura, who where the bill is actually in her Fed committee, would also like to provide opening comments. So that will be the order.

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