Fourteen new deputies joined the state Sheriff Division on Friday, the Department of Public Safety announced.
“These graduates will become the state’s newest law enforcement officers and transfer to the newly created Department of Law Enforcement to begin their careers and service to the public,” Public Safety Director Tommy Johnson said in a news release.
The Law Enforcement Recruit Class 23-01 for deputy sheriffs gathered at the PSD Training Academy, where they received graduation certificates. The ceremony also included the oath of office recitation and sheriff badge presentation.
PSD and DLE also hosted two Department of Taxation investigators and DLE Deputy Director Michael Vincent, who all attended the full recruit class and received a completion certificate.
The graduation follows 6-1/2 months of training in “more than 1,000 hours of academic instruction, practical testing in constitutional and criminal law, ethical uses of force, de-escalation, crisis intervention training, physical fitness, traffic enforcement, firearms, and arrest and control tactics,” according to the release.
“On behalf of the Division, I extend my congratulations and wish you well as you begin to carry out your duties to keep our communities safe,” state Sheriff Mark Hanohano said.
Friday’s graduation ceremony was the last for deputy sheriffs’ recruits under PSD. As of Jan. 1, all PSD law enforcement personnel are transferring to the DLE. PSD will be redesignated as the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, according to a news release.
“It is with sadness that we hold this final Law Enforcement Recruit Class as the Department of Public Safety,” Johnson said in the release. “With hope for the future as we move forward with the re-designation as the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, I am humbled by the opportunity to lead the department into the future.”
The deputies will work in various positions statewide. Ten deputies will be assigned to Oahu patrol sections, three to Hawaii island and one to Kauai.
