| Hawaii Department of Public Safety | |
| Abbreviation | HDPS |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Employees | 2,263 (as of 2006) |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of Hawaii, USA |
| Size | 10,931 square miles (28,310 km2) |
| Population | 1,283,388 (2007 est.)[1] |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Deputy Sheriffs Narcotics Enforcement Agents |
244 |
| Agency executive | Clayton A. Frank, Director |
| Facilities | |
| Prisons | 4 |
| Jails | 4 |
| Website | |
| http://hawaii.gov/psd | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Hawaii Department of Public Safety is a department with in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is headquartered in Room 400 in the 919 Ala Moana Boulevard building in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu.[2] The Department of Public Safety is made up of three divisions.
Contents |
The Administration Division provides support services that enable the corrections staff to fulfill their responsibilities. Some of these services include training and staff development, fiscal and personnel management, management of the operating budget and capital improvements program budget, procurement, management information systems and research.[3]
The Corrections Division oversees four prisons. Three of the prisons are located on the island of Oahu and one on the island of Hawaii.[4] The Mainland Section contracts with three facilities, one in Kentucky and two in Arizona, to house prisoners sentenced in Hawaii.[5] About 1,900 male inmates are contracted to Arizona.[6] In 1995 the State of Hawaii began contracting with prisons outside of Hawaii to house Hawaiian prisoners.[7] The criteria for sending inmates to private prisons on the mainland include a minimum sentence of 24 months, a lack of pending criminal cases in Hawaii, and a lack of major health and medical issues. Daphne Barbee, an attorney, said that she had clients with cases pending who were sent to the mainland anyway.[8] According to Kevin Dayton of the Honolulu Advertiser, some inmates prefer to stay in the mainland because they belief the private facilities will provide superior access to educational programs, drug treatment programs, and other programs that a prisoner would complete before he or she is considered for parole. Some prisoners, particularly prisoners who have young children and families, prefer to stay in Hawaii.[9]
Its prisons include:
The agency previously operated the Kulani Correctional Facility in Hawaii County, on the Island of Hawaii.[10] In 2009 the state announced that Kulani would close.[11]
As of 2010 the majority of Hawaii's male prison population is housed by the Corrections Corporation of America-operated Saguaro Correctional Center,[12] located in Eloy, Arizona.[13]
Hawaii is one of six states in the United States that operates its jails at the state level. Traditionally, jails are the responsibility of county government. The Hawaii Department of Public Safety is responsible for four jails: one on each of the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui and Kauai.[4]
Although the department is required by Hawaii Revised Statute 26-0014 to have public safety related objectives and functions, the law enforcement division does not address the statistically greatest public safety related law enforcement issues.
The Narcotics Enforcement Division (NED) enforces laws relating to controlled substances and regulated chemicals. The NED is responsible for the registration and control of the manufacture, distribution, prescription, and dispensing of controlled substances and precursor or essential chemicals within Hawaii.[14]
The Sheriff Division is one of the two law enforcement divisions within the Department of Public Safety. All sworn deputy sheriff personnel are statutorily law enforcement officers although that is not their primary function.
The Court Services Section provides the judiciary with bailiffs and corrections officers through the deputies assigned to the courts. Although Hawaii Revised Statutes section 606-0014 require the judiciary's bailiffs to exercise police powers in the courthouse, neither the judiciary nor the Sheriff's Division operate in accordance with section 606-0014. Some of the duties of a Court Services Section deputy include, but are not limited to, the duties of Adult Corrections Officers and Bailiffs. Deputy Sheriffs function as adult corrections officers by guarding inmates in the courthouse. Deputy Sheriffs function as bailiffs by fulfilling the requirements of HRS 606-0014 for the bailiffs.
The Special Operations Section, Fugitive Unit, or more commonly referred to as the Warrants Unit is also attached to the Court Services Branch. This plain clothes unit is primarily tasked with the execution of various felony and traffic arrest warrants. Other duties include but are not limited to the execution of writs of possession and assisting other Law Enforcement Agencies on Oahu and the neighbor islands when requested.
Although the judiciary requires the sheriff division to perform the duties of the judiciary's bailiffs, the judiciary ordered the Sheriff's Division to remove their booking desk from the district court house on Oahu. As a result, the sheriff's receiving desk is currently being operated out of the Halawa Correctional Facility. Receiving Desk Deputies are primarily responsible for the booking, processing, securing, searching, and transporting of arrestees.
The Capitol Section provides an immediate law enforcement presence at the Hawaii State Capitol, Hawaii Civic Center Complex, Washington Place, and other locations deemed necessary by factors other than public safety related statistics. In the past, deputies would, at times, arrest or cite violators of statute or ordinance during a patrol to and from immediate areas of responsibility.
The Executive Protection Unit is tasked with the physical protection of the Governor and Lt. Governor of the State of Hawaii.
The Airport Sheriff Detail provides law enforcement services in and around the Honolulu International Airport.
Security Services at the Hawaii State Hospital, Waimano Training School and Hospital, and Fort Ruger at the Department of Defense are overseen by the Sheriff Division. Due to financial constraints some of the security positions were eliminated and contracted out.
The K9 Services Section utilizes canines to detect narcotics and explosives on limited state properties on the island of Oahu.
In 2007, the Sheriff Division was the first agency in the state to be certified with a Department of Homeland Security type III SWAT Team. The team could respond to an incident on state property on any island if it were needed.
A Sheriff's Chaplain Corps began with one chaplain in 2004. Chaplains volunteer their time to assist in times of need. In 2009, 3 uniformed chaplains serve all sections and units within the Sheriff Division.
Sheriff's Office facilities:
Since the establishment of the Hawaii Department of Public Safety, only one officer has died in the line of duty.[15]
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||