HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Officials are investigating after a drone contracted by Hawaiian Electric was purposefully targeted and down during the week of Monday, Sept. 9 on Maui. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Hawaiian Electric said the drone is is meant to inspect areas with a high-risk of wildfire. Officials said the drone program is an important part of wildfire mitigation. "Inspect the condition of the electrical infrastructure that help us inspect, you know, look at areas where there might be a lot of vegetation growing," Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Darren Pai said. Pai said one of their contracted drones was purposefully targeted and damaged mid-flight, which downed the machine as it was inspecting overhead lines on Maui. "For, you know, safety and security reasons I can't get into all the specifics around the incident," Pai said. The Maui Police Department is investigating the incident. An owner of an unrelated drone company said he has been threatened at least a dozen times while flying his equipment. "Firearms have been present in probably about three of those instances," said Mike Elliott, co-owner of Drone Services Hawaii. "I've never had anybody actually do anything. But it is a federal crime." KHON2 asked Elliott if he has ever seen someone point a weapon at his drone. "No, being psychically approached and someone having a firearm, yeah," Elliott said. The Federal Aviation Administration has not confirmed that they investigating the downed drone, but the crime of destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities which carries up to $10,000 in fines or up to 20 years in prison. "Federal crime, federal time. I mean, that's the way it works," Elliott said. "There's a misperception as to, 'Well there was a drone flying by. So they must be looking at me,' Not necessarily. What's going on usually is a lot of mapping projects, lidar, thermography, checking solar panels, things like that." "We just want to bring awareness to this and let people know that if you see our crews out there with a drone overhead, you know, it is a part of this program," Pai said. Check out more news from around Hawaii The drone program is active on Maui, the Big Island and Oahu and inspections are often accompanied by Hawaiian Electric-marked vehicles, or by ProEnergy Jeeps.