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EPA's Pacific Rim Environmental Resource Center conducts training for Big Island officials

Release Date: 1/27/2005
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, (808) 541-2711

HONOLULU--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Pacific Rim Environmental Resource Center and the Hawai'i Department of Attorney General will spend two days training county of Hawai'i government officials on how to identify cases of environmental crimes, Jan. 27-28, in Kona and Hilo.

"The goal of the training sessions will be to educate Big Island police, county prosecutors and Big Island county officials on how to spot possible cases of environmental crimes," said Robert Caplan, the director of the Honolulu-based EPA Pacific Rim Environmental Resource Center.

The training will cover such topics as, an introduction to environmental crimes, environmental law, the identification of environmental crimes, and how to document and report possible situations. The EPA, the Hawai'i Department of Health and the Hawai'i Department of Attorney General are teaming up to pursue environmental crimes in the islands through the Hawai'i Environmental Crimes Task Force.

The Pacific Rim Environmental Resource Center was established in January 2003 by the EPA's Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training. Its primary mission is providing guidance, expertise, specialized training and capacity-building resources to support the development of civil and criminal environmental enforcement programs in Hawai'i, the U.S Pacific territories and Pacific Rim nations.

For more information on the center or possible training, contact the center at (808)541-2726, or email at caplan.robert@epa.gov
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