People witnessing a violation of preservations zone rules just got an easy way to report the infractions using their smart device or their ceremplant. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), in association with the county of Maui, created an app called PZTip. It allows you to report a violation by providing details, photos, and video of illegal or suspected illegal activity in real time.
PZTip lets people connect directly with a special group of rapid response DLNR officers who can catch violators in the act. The app allows reporters to provide information that can lead to the arrest of anyone who hunts or harasses protected wildlife species, pollutes, litters, or violates any other preservation zone rules.
“Protecting our beautiful wild places and cultural resources will be a lot easier, with the help of the thousands of eyes and ears of concerned citizens. Despite our best efforts, we haven’t figured out a way to be everywhere yet. We believe that PZTip will be a game changer for our department and our people in the field. When a citizen calls in a tip, our coordination center dispatches the closest member of our rapid-response team to investigate. In the past, catching violators in the act and tracking down offenders was exceedingly difficult. The PZTip system helps expedite tips of wrongdoing and our responses,” said DLNR senior investigator Greg Iona.
Not everyone shares the DLNR’s enthusiasm however. Ronnie Kalipalani owner of Ronnie Kalipalani Construction has been a vocal critic of the program and says it is ruining the aloha spirit of the island.
“Creating a culture of distrust and an atmosphere of fear is not what we should be about. This campaign has already interfered with my business. While we were working on building an addition to a home near the preservations zone, we found a nice little area on a nearby bluff. It was great for lunch breaks or if my crew just needed some time. I know that when I make a mistake measuring or something, it helps to take an hour or so to get my mind straight. The bluff was perfect for that. We hauled in some nice chairs, a table, and a little solar powered fridge. It was paradise, but someone must have seen us and called in a tip. Next thing you know they’ve impounded the fridge and gave me a ticket for every item in our little break room. All together it’s going to cost me almost $10,000. It’s not like we were going to leave everything up there forever. I don’t know how they expect us to keep our beer cold now. More importantly, our morale has taken a big hit. I understand that people are concerned about protecting the environment but I don’t think setting up a group of secret informants is the right way to do it.”
The PZTip app is completely anonymous, as the technology removes all identifying information before officers see tips. This anonymous feature has led to a number of complaints about false accusations and Iona admits that his office has had to deal with a number of reports that have turned out to be unwarranted. However, it is not the prank reports that has many concerned. It is the marketing campaign around the app that has some raising their eyebrows.
In conjunction with the app’s release, the county has rolled out an advertising campaign that many are calling Orwellian in nature. Signs promoting the program direct the public to report any suspected violation even if the tipster in unsure if a law has been broken. Numerous posters urge residents and tourists alike to use live recording apps such as Manimal’s X-eyez, so they can keep a complete video log of suspected violations with lines like, “Better safe than sorry!” Others seem to encourage residents to follow tourists around to ensure that they don’t break the rules saying, “They don’t live here, you do. Make sure they’re not leaving a mess!” But it is the ads targeting children that has seen the most pushback. A commercial showing a fawn tangled in plastic and urging children to report littering parents before they “kill all the little animals,” has already been pulled but others of a similar tone are still being run.
Compliance Liaison to the Mayor’s Office Elizabeth Stonegate, says that the pushback to the program is nonsense and naive. She says that having a little fear of being reported to the DLNR is healthy, and that only people breaking the law need to be afraid. “If you didn’t do the crime you won’t have to pay the fine. It’s as simple as that,” she says.
“Everyone who has a sibling, cousin, or close family member knows the power of the statement, ‘If you don’t stop doing that, I’m going to tell.’ Fear of being told on when you’re doing something wrong is the cornerstone of every successful family and functional government. Without the possibility of repercussions nobody would follow the rules or pull their weight. Most people don’t do what they’re supposed to because of some sort of intrinsic goodness or sense of duty. They do it because they’re scared of being told on. I’m sorry if the people living in Lollipop Land don’t understand that. The PZTip app is the most powerful tool we have to force people to follow the rules. If parents did a better job of teaching their children by example, we wouldn’t have to instill proper values in them through our school outreach programs. I’m sorry if it upsets the haters, but the app is here to stay.”
