Will Hawaiʻi take action to stop agricultural crime?

Hawaiʻi has an agricultural crime problem, and farmers and ranchers say it’s getting worse.

They frequently battle against trespassers, vandals and thieves — and even if they’re somehow caught despite their remote location, penalties are minimal.

There’s hope that the death of Cranston Pia, an Oʻahu farmer who was killed this year in a stand-off, will spur lawmakers to act next year.

“You can’t talk to one rancher that hasn’t been in the same situation as Cranston,” Big Island rancher Lani Cran Petrie said. “They just didn’t get shot.”