HONOLULU — Gov. David Ige signed a bill establishing a new state Department of Law Enforcement. The last time a new department was formed in the state was over 30 years ago, in 1989, with the creation of the state Department of Public Safety.
“Hawai‘i is the only state in the country that doesn’t have a centralized, independent state law-enforcement agency,” Ige said in a press release. “The new department will allow more efficient and effective emergency response, criminal law enforcement, investigations and homeland security operations.”
The new DLE includes the DPS’ Law Enforcement Division (State Sheriff Division and Narcotics Enforcement Division) and Internal Affairs Office, state Department of Transportation Harbors Division and the state Department of the Attorney General’s Criminal Investigative Division. The new department will also include the state Department of Defense Office of Homeland Security, and the Hawai‘i State Fusion Center.
The department has already begun implementation and creation of framework and infrastructure for the new DLE.
“The consolidation will centralize command and control for the state’s critical-incident management, improve interoperable communications and the ability to handle complex multi-island investigations and improve overall efficiency of statewide law-enforcement operations,” said Jordan Lowe, DPS deputy director for law enforcement.
”The new DLE will also be able to provide additional resources for other law-enforcement agencies in both independent and joint operations,” said Lowe.
The DPS will be renamed the Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation. Both departments become independent and fully operational.
“The Department of Public Safety corrections and law-enforcement divisions have distinctly different and unique missions,” said Max Otani, DPS director.
”Once the conversion of Public Safety to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is complete, the department will be able to focus on a single mission to administer the corrections, rehabilitation and reentry of the inmate population,” said Otani.
By 2024, there will be a transfer of state Department of the Attorney General non-statutorily-mandated investigative functions and related employees, state DOT Harbors Division criminal-law-enforcement functions and related employees, and Department of Defense Office of Homeland Security, to include the Hawai‘i State Fusion Center.
“We want to thank everyone involved in this past legislative session who contributed to this momentous achievement to get this bill passed, creating our new state Department of Law Enforcement,” said State Sheriff William “Billy” Oku Jr.
“It would take a week or longer to name everyone, but we want to thank the many people within the Department of Public Safety Sheriff Division who came together to craft the bill, along with all of the law-enforcement agencies that threw their support behind it and the lawmakers who saw the importance and passed it. We couldn’t have done it without everyone’s hard work and support,” said Oku.
