Public Safety

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‘We Really Are Hurting’: Hawaiʻi Deputy Pay Lags $20K Behind Cops Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025

‘We Really Are Hurting’: Hawaiʻi Deputy Pay Lags $20K Behind Cops

State law enforcement Director Mike Lambert asked lawmakers for help addressing staffing shortages while also highlighting plans to install controversial gunshot detectors in three Oʻahu neighborhoods.

Drones And Tougher Fireworks Enforcement Usher In The New Year Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025

Drones And Tougher Fireworks Enforcement Usher In The New Year

Several people were injured, but it was a less explosive New Year’s Eve than last year even as a new fireworks smuggling case surfaced on the Big Island.

A Fireworks Explosion Shattered Their Lives. Will Hawaiʻi Learn From It? AP Photo/Marco Garcia/2025

A Fireworks Explosion Shattered Their Lives. Will Hawaiʻi Learn From It?

A 3-year-old, a new father and a grandmother were among those killed. Witnesses are left wondering if their deaths will make a difference this year.

Hawaiʻi Building Fires Are On The Rise; Safety Inspections Aren’t Keeping Up Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025

Hawaiʻi Building Fires Are On The Rise; Safety Inspections Aren’t Keeping Up

Two fatal fires at the Wild Ginger Inn and the old Puʻuʻeo Poi Factory in Hilo expose gaps in the state’s fire safety inspection system.

Hawai‘i Gun Deaths: Amid Uptick, Leaders Take Debate Underground Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2018

Hawai‘i Gun Deaths: Amid Uptick, Leaders Take Debate Underground

The group that brought public health officials, law enforcement and researchers together to talk about how to prevent gun violence hasn’t met in over a year, and efforts to restart it have failed.

Lawsuit Claims ‘Negligence’ Led To Fatal Stabbing Of State Hospital Nurse David Croxford

Lawsuit Claims ‘Negligence’ Led To Fatal Stabbing Of State Hospital Nurse

Family claims administrators at Hawaiʻi’s only public psychiatric hospital failed to institute basic safety protocols to prevent the death of Justin Bautista by a patient.

Hawaiʻi Police Face Unique Barriers To Solving Violent Crimes David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024

Hawaiʻi Police Face Unique Barriers To Solving Violent Crimes

The percentage of violent crimes that end in an arrest or a closed case is declining, as agencies grapple with understaffing, insufficient technology and geographical challenges of an island state.

Fatal Police Shooting: Teen’s Family Could Get $1 Million Settlement Ronen Zilberman/Civil Beat/2021

Fatal Police Shooting: Teen’s Family Could Get $1 Million Settlement

The Honolulu City Council is slated to vote on whether to approve the settlement in the 2021 death of 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap at its next meeting.

Fatal HPD Chases Cost City Millions. Will New Law Change That? Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024

Fatal HPD Chases Cost City Millions. Will New Law Change That?

As Honolulu looks to settle with the family of a teenager killed in a 2021 chase, efforts to regulate police pursuits continue to draw criticism.

Honolulu Fire Department Relied On Risky Tactic In Deadly Blaze

Honolulu Fire Department Relied On Risky Tactic In Deadly Blaze

Firefighters have a mantra: Risk a lot to save a lot. But a newly uncovered federal investigation into a firefighter’s death cautions fire departments against risking everything when they don’t know whether there’s anyone to save.