This is a list of law enforcement agencies located in
Hawaii.
According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics' 2008 Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, the state had 7 law enforcement agencies employing 3,234 sworn police officers, about 251 for each 100,000 residents.[1] Hawaii is unique in that it is the only state within the U.S. that does not have a
state police, state patrol, or highway patrol.[2] However, the
Sheriff Division of the
Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) serves as the de facto state police (and
capitol police) agency of Hawaii. Conversely, the DLE Sheriff Division is the only sheriff’s department in the U.S. that officially serves the entire state. Additionally, investigators of the DLE serve as statewide investigators with full
police powers across the state, akin to other state criminal investigatory agencies, such as the
Georgia Bureau of Investigation or
Colorado Bureau of Investigation.[3]
The sheriff of
Kalawao County located on the Kalaupapa Peninsula on the north coast of the island of Moloka'i and the smallest US county, is selected from among the 86 local residents (86 total population per the 2019 estimate of the US Census Bureau), by the Hawaii Department of Health, which administers the county. The sheriff is the sole county government employee.
City and County of Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Office, Criminal Investigations Unit
References
^2008 Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, by Brian A Reaves, US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, July 2011