GOVERNOR’S OFFICE PRESS RELEASE: GOVERNOR IGE SIGNS BILL CREATING NEW DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
Posted on July 8, 2022 in Latest Department News, Press Room, Governor’s Office Press Releases
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HONOLULU – Governor David Ige signed today HB2171 creation of a new Department of Law Enforcement (DLE). The last time a new department was formed in the state was over 30 years ago, in 1989, with the creation of the Department of Public Safety.
The new DLE includes the Law Enforcement Division of the Department of Public Safety (State Sheriff’s Division and Narcotics Division) and the Internal Affairs Bureau, the Ports Division of the Department of Transportation and the Criminal Investigations Division of the Department of Justice. The new department will also include the Department of Defense’s Office of Homeland Security and the Hawaiʻi State Fusion Center.
“Hawaii is the only state in the country that does not have a centralized, independent law enforcement agency. The new department will enable more efficient and effective emergency response, criminal law enforcement, investigations and homeland security operations,” Governor Ige said.
“The consolidation will centralize command and control of the state’s critical incident management, improve interoperable communications and the ability to handle complex multi-island investigations, and improve the overall efficiency of law enforcement operations at statewide. The new DLE will also be able to provide additional resources to other law enforcement agencies in independent and joint operations,” said Jordan Lowe, PSD Deputy Director for Law Enforcement. .
The planned timeline for the transition is as follows:
July 1, 2022 – The Transition Team begins implementing and creating the framework and infrastructure for the new DLE.
July 1, 2023 – The administrative infrastructure is established in the DLE. The process to begin filling all assigned positions begins.
January 1, 2024 – Transfer of non-statutory investigative functions from the Ministry of the Attorney General and related employees, criminal law enforcement functions from the Transportation Ports Division and related employees, and the Office of Homeland Security from the Department of Defense, to include the Hawaii State Merger Center.
January 1, 2024 – The Department of Public Safety is renamed the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR). The two departments become independent and fully operational.
“The Department of Public Safety’s Corrections and Law Enforcement Divisions have distinct and unique missions. 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 corrections, rehabilitation and reintegration of the prison population,” said Max Otani, director of the PSD.
“We would like to thank everyone involved in the last legislative session who contributed to this momentous achievement to pass this bill, creating our new State Department of Law Enforcement,” the Sheriff said. ‘State William “Billy” Oku Jr. “It would take a week or more to name everyone, but we want to thank the many people within the Sheriff’s Division of the Department of Public Safety who came together to craft the bill, as well as all the law enforcement agencies who lent their support, and the lawmakers who saw the importance and passed it. We couldn’t have done this without the hard work and the everyone’s support.
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Media contacts:
Tony Schwartz
Public Information Officer
Hawaii Department of Public Safety
Office: 808-587-1358
Mobile: 808-683-5507
[email protected]
Cindy McMillan
Communications Director
Governor’s Office
Office: 808-586-0012
Mobile: 808-265-7974
[email protected]
