A state lawmaker is asking Gov. David Ige to consider issuing an emergency proclamation and applying for federal funds to fill vacant correctional officer positions at Hawaii prisons.

Senate Minority Leader Kurt Fevella sent a letter to Ige asking the governor to consider issuing an emergency proclamation that would make Hawaii eligible to apply for American Recovery Plan Act funds or other sources of federal money. The federal resources would be used to pay for adult correctional officers positions at Halawa, Waiawa, Kulana Correctional Facilities and the Women’s Community Correctional Center.

“During my site visit on Monday, November 29, 2021, only 58 of the 91 correctional officers required for the morning shift at Halawa Correctional Facility were at work, leaving 33 positions vacant or on leave,” Fevella said in the letter. “This situation presents a potentially dangerous situation for exhausted correctional officers who are not at the top of their game when interacting with prison inmates, but also a probable risk to the general public on our roads and highways.”

An emergency declaration and federal funds could be used to increase external recruitment, add more correctional officer recruit classes, including day and evening classes, and pay for emergency hires with the option of conducting on-the-job training at each facility while the hiring process plays out.

“The Department of Public Safety welcomes open dialogue with the senator to address his concerns,” said Toni Schwartz, public information officer for the state Department of Public Safety, in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Ige is expected to reply in writing to Fevella, Schwartz said.

Fevella also sent a letter requesting an informational briefing on prison staffing to state Sen. Clarence Nishihara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs.