HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii now has a new statewide police force.
Gov. David Ige signed a bill Friday to create the new department, which is slated to be operational by January 2024. But organizing will begin immediately.
Under the measure, the state Department of Public Safety would be split in two.
The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will look after the prisons and jail.
And the newly created law enforcement division would include the sheriff’s department, which would still maintain jurisdiction over courts and airports.
DLE will also take over Harbor Patrol, Narcotics Enforcement and the state’s Homeland Security Office.
Some investigators from the Attorney General’s Office will also relocate.
The new law enforcement agency will have about 400 sworn officers.
“It brings everyone together so we have a unified command,” said current DPS Deputy Director Jordan Lowe.
Training will also be streamlined and meet higher standards.
Supporters said it would also consolidate investigations that span multiple counties and islands.
“This is especially important to me,” said state Sen. Lynn Decoit, vice chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee and an advocate of the move because her district includes parts of Molokai, Lanai and Maui.
Hawaii is the only state without a centralized law enforcement agency, and Ige said the change will allow for more efficient and effective emergency response.
Max Ohtani, director of the current public safety department, said the change makes sense because the two divisions “have distinctly different and unique missions.”
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