The Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) is a department within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The department, which commenced operations on January 1, 2024, was created to merge several previously separate law enforcement functions among the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Transportation, and Department of Public Safety into a single department to improve efficiency.[4]
The Department of Law Enforcement has the following divisions: Administration, Law Enforcement, Office of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General, and CALEA Office.
The Law Enforcement Division provides law enforcement and investigative services to the State of Hawaii.[3]
Narcotics Enforcement Division
The Narcotics Enforcement Division enforces laws and regulations and investigates criminal activity relating to controlled substances, medical marijuana, and prescription drug diversion. It also provides training on the aforementioned matters to law enforcement partners and healthcare professionals.[5][6]
Sheriff Division
Hawaii State Sheriff Division Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
The Sheriff Division is the de factostate police and capitol police force of the state. As Hawaii is an archipelago, the state has no need for a regular state police or highway patrol agency. The Sheriff Division provides law enforcement, security, and court bailiff services to state properties like the state capitol, the judiciary, and other designated locations such as the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. The Sheriff Division also provides personal protection for key state officials, including the Governor and Lieutenant Governor.[7][6]
The Sheriff Division is headed by the State Sheriff with the assistance of the First Deputy Sheriff. A Deputy Sheriff V heads the Operations Branch which is composed of multiple sections and units. Each section is headed by a Deputy Sheriff IV, while units are supervised by one or multiple Deputy Sheriff III's and they are staffed by multiple Deputy Sheriffs. As of July 1, 2021, the Sheriff Division had the following sections and units:[8][6]
State Sheriff
Secretary
First Deputy Sheriff
Special Investigations Office
Staff Services Office
Dispatch Office
Deputy Sheriff V — Operations Branch
Criminal Investigation Section — functions transferred to the DLE Criminal Investigation Division.
Program Support Section
Security Section
Special Operations Section
Fugitive Unit
Canine Unit
Prisoner Transport Unit
Clerical Support Staff
Records Section
Receiving Desk Unit
Records Unit
Evidence Unit
Capitol Patrol Section
Executive Protection Section
Circuit Court Section
District Court Section
Kapolei Court Section
Airport Section
Hawaii Section
Kauai Section
Maui Section
Law Enforcement Training Division
As mandated by HB2171 and SB1337, the Department of Law Enforcement is ordered to establish a training center which provides training to all Department of Law Enforcement and county law enforcement personnel who exercise police powers in the state to ensure that all law enforcement officers meet the training standards required by state law.[9]
Criminal Investigation Division
The Criminal Investigation Division is responsible for investigating crimes which have been committed on and around the properties owned, operated, and/or controlled by the state, and for assisting other law enforcement agencies with their investigations, when necessary.[6]
Office of Homeland Security
The Office of Homeland Security's (OHS) primary responsibility is to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to, and help the state to recover from man-made attacks, natural disasters and emerging threats.
Planning and Operations Branch
The Planning and Operations Branch is responsible for developing the Hawaiʻi Homeland Security Strategy leading operational processes to ensure the Office of Homeland Security efficiently and effectively meets its mission to Resolutely safeguard the people of Hawaiʻi, our community values, and our homeland.
The Branch translates the State’s Homeland Security Strategy and policy guidance into mission execution through the development of operational and response plans, which guide and direct OHS’s and the state homeland security enterprise’s activities for priority threats and challenges to the state and national homeland security. It oversees the statewide Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Programs and has lead for statewide planning and operational support for: Cybersecurity, Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, and Emerging Threats
The Branch manages the training and exercise elements related to OHS’s mission. It provides development and sponsorship of educational and training opportunities for practitioners across the homeland security enterprise on topics such as school safety, mass gatherings/large-scale events, and responding to threats like weapons of mass destruction and active shooter events.
It also assembles relevant stakeholders, organizations, and support groups to exercise operational and response plans and prepare for various homeland security threats such as cyber incidents and disruptions, active shooter, HAZMAT issues, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), civil unrest, election security, and more.[10]
Hawaii State Fusion Center
The Hawaii State Fusion Center (HSFC) is a collaborative effort of multiple agencies that provide resources, expertise, and information to the center with the goal of maximizing their ability to detect, prevent, investigate, and respond to criminal and terrorist activity.
HSFC members include Hawaii high intensity drug trafficking area, Hawaii state employees, Hawaii National Guard, DHS and FBI. The extended HSFC memberships include every major local law enforcement office in Hawaii, critical infrastructure providers, private sector partners, federal government partners, and many others statewide. [11]
Intelligence Enforcement Unit
The Intelligence Enforcement Unit is the investigative component of the Office of Homeland Security. The unit investigates matters related to homeland security, such as terrorist attacks, as well as organized crime, cyber threats and attacks, and threats and attacks against critical state infrastructure. The unit is headed by an Investigator VI (Chief Investigator)[12] and it is staffed by multiple Investigator V's.[13]
Grants Management Branch
The State of Hawaii Office of Homeland Security receives funding through the Department of Homeland Security / Federal Emergency Management Agency via various federal grant programs: The Homeland Security Grant Program, the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, and the Counter UAS Grant Program. This grant funding supports Hawaii's Homeland Security enterprise missions across the prevention, protection, response, recovery and mitigation continuum in the areas of planning, equipment, training and exercises throughout the state and across all of the state's county jurisdictions. [14]
Investigators have the powers and privileges of police officers with statewide jurisdiction to effect arrest and conduct investigations.[16]
Investigator VI, SR-26 (Chief Investigator): the full management level, responsible for all operations, activities, and administrative matters of their major organizational component.[17][12]
Investigator V, SR-24: an expert working level who, depending on assignment, may also have supervisory responsibilities. This rank is divided into two distinct types:[17]
Type A: a supervisor who has full responsibility of a specific investigative program (e.g. welfare fraud) and has at least one subordinate of the Investigator IV level (type A or C).
Type B: an investigator who conducts complex investigations falling within a variety of jurisdictions and program areas, and where facts and evidence are not generally easily found.
Investigator IV, SR-22: an advanced working level who, depending on assignment, may also have supervisory responsibilities. This rank is divided into three distinct types:[17]
Type A: an investigator who conducts complex investigations, but which are related to only one program area (e.g. welfare fraud).
Type B: one or two investigators who have full responsibility of a small investigative program.
Type C: a supervisor who supervises, and conducts, investigations of violations which are expected to involve only a few or no controversial issues, and where facts and evidence are easily found through official records.
Investigator III, SR-20: the first regular working level, they conduct investigations of violations which are expected to involve only a few or no controversial issues, and where facts and evidence are easily found through official records.[17]
Investigator II, SR-18: advanced trainee level, they work with higher level investigators on cases which are limited in nature and scope.[17]
Investigator I, SR-16: first trainee level, they mainly observe higher level investigators while learning applicable laws, regulations, and processes relating to their duties.[17]
Deputy Sheriffs
Deputy Sheriffs are the core law enforcement staff of the Sheriff Division.[18]
State Sheriff: the head of the Sheriff Division. They are exempt from civil service and serve at the pleasure of the Director.[8]
First Deputy Sheriff, EM-05: the second-in-command of the Sheriff Division, they assist the Sheriff with management of the division and all of its activities.[19]
Deputy Sheriff V, SR-24: a branch chief, responsible for all operations, activities, and administrative matters of their branch.[20]
Deputy Sheriff IV, SR-22 (Lieutenant): the second level full supervisor who manages a major law enforcement function with multiple subordinate supervisors.[18]
Deputy Sheriff III, SR-20 (Sergeant): the first level supervisor who is engaged in field supervision of their assigned work shift.[18]
Deputy Sheriff II, SR-18: the regular working level.[18]
Deputy Sheriff I: a trainee level, deputies of this rank are still enrolled in training in a law enforcement academy.[18]
1 Responsible for policing in Honolulu County, which encompasses the entire island of Oʻahu
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