Directed to: Governor of Hawaiʻi, Director of the Department of Human Resources Development, Director of the Department of Law Enforcement, and the Hawaiʻi State Legislature

Petition:

The State of Hawaiʻi plans to reclassify about 60% of its Deputy Sheriffs as "State Law Enforcement Officers." Deputies in patrol, airport, harbor, fugitive, canine, training and criminal investigation units would lose the title of Deputy Sheriff. Deputies in our courts would keep the title but receive no pay increase at all.

We oppose this plan. It splits one proud agency in two, leaves the court deputies behind, and strips away a title that is woven into the history of these islands.

A title older than ʻIolani Palace

On April 27, 1846, King Kamehameha III signed the Act to Organize the Executive Departments of the Government. It created the Marshal of the Hawaiian Islands and a sheriff for each of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, Maui and Kauaʻi. The Hawaiʻi sheriff is the only law enforcement office in the United States established by a monarch. It is the oldest law enforcement institution in Hawaiʻi, older than ʻIolani Palace itself.

The Legislature has repeatedly recognized this. It has said in its own bills that the distinctive and culturally significant role of Hawaiʻi's sheriffs deserves protection. Replacing "Deputy Sheriff" with a generic job title does the opposite.

The legacy of Duke Kahanamoku

Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, Olympic champion, father of modern surfing and Hawaiʻi's Ambassador of Aloha, chose to serve his people as Sheriff of Honolulu. He was elected to 13 consecutive terms, from 1932 to 1961. When people around the world think of the spirit of Hawaiʻi, they think of Duke. He wore the title of Sheriff with pride. It should not be quietly retired from the people who carry it on today.

Those who gave everything

On February 10, 2007, Deputy Sheriff Daniel Browne-Sanchez was off duty when an armed robber held workers at gunpoint at a Honolulu lounge. He stepped in to protect them and was shot and killed. He was 27 years old and had served five years, assigned to the District Court on Oʻahu. His name is honored at the Hawaiʻi Law Enforcement Memorial as a Deputy Sheriff.

Deputy Sheriff Louis H. Stolz of Kauaʻi also gave his life, during the 1893 Battle of Kalalau Valley. He is another link in the chain of service stretching back to the Kingdom.

These men died wearing the title of Deputy Sheriff. Telling the next generation of deputies that the title no longer applies to them dishonors that sacrifice.

A divided department is a weaker department

The Sheriff Division already faces high vacancy rates and heavy workloads. Paying one group of deputies 8% more and giving court deputies nothing creates two classes of officers within one agency. Court deputies protect judges, jurors, witnesses and the public every day. Leaving them out will drive experienced deputies away from the courts when they are needed most.

Piece by piece, changes like this erode Hawaiʻi's history. A name that has survived the Kingdom, the Territory and statehood should not disappear through a job reclassification.

We ask the State of Hawaiʻi to:

Keep the title of Deputy Sheriff for all members of the Sheriff Division.
Provide a fair pay increase to all Deputy Sheriffs, including those serving the Judiciary.
Pursue the comprehensive repricing deputies have been asking for, with pay comparable to county police officers.

Honor the history. Honor the fallen. Keep the badge.