Sheriff’s deputies enter training agreement with Pohakuloa

Hawaii Island sheriff’s deputies — who are charged with serving arrest warrants on sometimes violent felons, among other duties — often find themselves in dangerous situations.

“They’re serving warrants on people who usually know they’re coming, who could be armed, and who don’t want to go to jail,” said Lt. Pat Kawai, one of the island’s 32 deputies, who serve as part of the State Public Safety Department.

To deal with such situations, they must remain in a continuous state of readiness, he said, and that means maintaining shooting skills.

But, Kawai said, there are no public shooting ranges on the island, which makes it difficult for them to get in a lot of regular practice.

Sheriff’s deputies have been driving to a private ranch in Waimea.

On Thursday, the state Department of Public Safety entered into a partnership with the U.S. Army Pohakuloa Training Area to provide its deputies with a firearms training ground.

While the many ranges at PTA are used extensively by military personnel, there are many times when they are available, said Lt. Col. Eric Shwedo, commander of the U.S. Army Garrison at Pohakuloa.

Command Sgt. Alan Higgs said that the training exercises the sheriff’s deputies will undergo will likely be very different from those that the soldiers are subjected to.

In addition to serving warrants, the sheriff’s deputies are also responsible for providing bailiffs and corrections officers to the courts.

Public Safety Director Ted Sakai, who was present for the signing of the agreement with PTA on Thursday, said that currently the department is working with the Legislature to try to fund seven new positions for the Big Isle, as well as an additional vehicle.

PTA sits on 133,000 acres and includes an 80-acre military residential area and an airfield with a 3,700-foot runway.