eBench Warrants
The 90,000-warrant backlog that defeated two prior initiatives, cleared by adoption, not mandates
The problem
Hawaii had a backlog of 90,000 unserved bench warrants. Two prior initiatives and a blue-ribbon commission had already failed to fix it. The agencies involved, courts, prosecutors, police, and the Attorney General's office, had long memories of those failures and little appetite for another top-down program.
What I did
Instead of a big-bang mandate, we found the early adopters with the most urgent pain, delivered quick wins for them, and let visible success build momentum across agencies. The system connected judiciary, law enforcement, and prosecutorial workflows so warrants moved electronically instead of on paper.
Impact
The backlog program became a model for interagency delivery in the state. The AG's Office, initially the biggest skeptic, hosted a celebration for the project, saying: "I've never seen government agencies work together like this."