Public Safety

The Search Is On For New Kauaʻi Police Chief Brittany Lyte/Civil Beat/2025

The Search Is On For New Kauaʻi Police Chief

Todd Raybuck’s tenure was clouded by controversy, but the outgoing police chief says he is leaving the Kauaʻi Police Department in better shape than when he arrived in 2019.

Prison Meth Smuggling Case Raises Questions About Hiring Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2016

Prison Meth Smuggling Case Raises Questions About Hiring

In a bid to get a lesser sentence, a former staffer in an Arizona prison where hundreds of Hawaiʻi inmates are held claims she was hired despite her history of mental illness.

Hawaiʻi’s First State Fire Marshal In Decades Has A Long To-Do List Office of the Governor/2025

Hawaiʻi’s First State Fire Marshal In Decades Has A Long To-Do List

State Fire Marshal Dori Booth will work to implement changes recommended after the Lahaina wildfire.

Lawsuit: Honolulu Police Made 127 DUI Arrests, But The Drivers Were Sober Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2016

Lawsuit: Honolulu Police Made 127 DUI Arrests, But The Drivers Were Sober

The ACLU wants the police department to stop arresting people without probable cause and due process. HPD said it is reviewing all drunken driving arrests dating back to 2021.

There Are Plenty Of Aggressive Drivers In Hawaiʻi, But Is It ‘Road Rage’? Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024

There Are Plenty Of Aggressive Drivers In Hawaiʻi, But Is It ‘Road Rage’?

Researchers and law enforcement officials are seeing increases in careless and aggressive driving in Hawaiʻi. It’s challenging to quantify the extent of the problem.

Suicides At Hawaiʻi’s Largest Prison Up The Stakes For Mental Health Review Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2019

Suicides At Hawaiʻi’s Largest Prison Up The Stakes For Mental Health Review

The state’s top corrections official has promised “unfettered access” for a pair of outside experts who will begin scrutinizing the system next month.

Will A Ban On Wheelies Stop The ‘Absolute Mayhem’ On Oʻahu Roads? Getty Images/iStockphoto

Will A Ban On Wheelies Stop The ‘Absolute Mayhem’ On Oʻahu Roads?

Bike stunts are good fun for some, but the number of e-bike accidents that EMS responded to on Oʻahu nearly tripled from 2022 to 2024.

Watered Down Property Seizure Bill Moves Forward Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024

Watered Down Property Seizure Bill Moves Forward

House Bill 126 was intended to require a conviction before property forfeiture is allowed.

Hawaiʻi Cops Said They Don’t Have Agreements With ICE. They Do David Croxford/Civil Beat/2025

Hawaiʻi Cops Said They Don’t Have Agreements With ICE. They Do

Advocates fear the agreements will be a slippery slope to local police becoming more involved in immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.

City Plans To Finish Waiʻanae Police Station, But It May Not Mean More Cops David Croxford/Civil Beat/2025

City Plans To Finish Waiʻanae Police Station, But It May Not Mean More Cops

Nine years after opening the station, the city is working to finish construction. But Honolulu is short on police, so there won’t necessarily be more officers on patrol.