State of Hawaii Department of the Attorney General

Hawaii Attorney General, Criminal Investigations Division is the law enforcement agency for the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General. It is tasked with full state police powers to enforces all state laws and department rules, conducts investigations of the most complex, confidential, and diverse civil and criminal cases being considered or readied for court action and prosecution; obtains additional information, evidence, and facts to clarify or substantiate findings of law enforcement agencies; secures, interviews, and interrogates witnesses complainants, and suspects; conducts highly confidential investigations for the Attorney General's Office; special career criminal suppression investigations; arrest subjects, processes and serves legal papers; conduct warrant investigations and extraditions.[1]

The Chief Special Investigator is responsible for planning, administering, organizing, and directing a statewide investigations program. As chief of the Investigations Division of the Department of the Attorney General, the sole position in this class is responsible for developing program plans to achieve program goals and objectives; developing operational policies and procedures; developing and implementing the program's budget; clearly communicating with, advising, and updating superiors in a timely manner; recommending new laws, rules and regulations; testifying before the Legislature; and establishing and maintaining extensive public contacts with representatives of other international, State, federal, and county agencies to share information and collaborate on law enforcement projects and activities.

The statewide investigations program provides specialized investigative services to State departments and agencies and may collaborate with other jurisdictions on projects of mutual concern. It involves the conduct of a broad range of investigations of suspected or actual violations of criminal, civil, and other administrative laws, rules and regulations. The investigation cases are highly sensitive and confidential in nature, dealing with crimes of fraud, theft, corruption, violence, and subversive activities which involve government officials and employees.

Investigations may include allegations of improper and unethical conduct by State employees, appointed officials, and public officers; tort, damage, flood and injury claims; traffic accidents or other accidents occurring on State-owned property; organized crime activities; corruption by public employees and officials; assaults, stabbings, and murder in State correctional facilities; and any other situation where enforcement and investigative assistance is requested.[2]

• Chief Investigator: Chief of Staff for the Division
• Investigator VI: plans, organizes, directs and coordinates a statewide investigative program; supervises a staff of Investigator IV's, type A or C through subordinate full-time supervisors. Investigator IV positions consist of the following types:

Type A: An investigator independently performing the full range of investigations which are regularly of a complex nature, where the violations are related to a specific program area; Type B: One or two investigators who are responsible for the small investigative program in an agency, without higher level investigative supervisory guidance; Type C: The working supervisory investigator in an agency where investigations are carried out according to standard policies and procedures, from planning through fact-finding to reporting the results of the investigations.

Investigators at the VI level may occasionally work on the most complex investigations, which involve highly controversial issues and extremely complex problems. At this level, positions develop operating policies and procedures; resolve operational problems; recommend new laws, rules and regulations or recommend revisions; testify before the legislature; prepare budget requests and develop training programs; analyze evidence and write narrative reports on the status and findings of investigations; and coordinate with law enforcement officers and other agencies.

• Investigator V: plans, organizes, directs and coordinates the activities of an investigative agency concerned with civil, administrative or criminal investigations falling within its respective jurisdiction, where violations investigated are related to a specific program area, or conducts civil, administrative or criminal investigations falling within a variety of jurisdictions, where violations or circumstances investigated are related to a broad variety of program areas, and are not limited to a specific program area, like that of lower investigator levels. As the supervisory investigator in a small or medium-size unit where investigations are carried out according to standard policies and procedures, which are regularly of a complex nature, from planning through fact-finding to reporting the results of investigations.

Investigators have the powers and privileges of police officers with statewide jurisdiction to effect arrest and conduct investigations. Most investigators are experienced law enforcement officer with other federal, state or local police agencies prior to being employed with the Division.[3]

Conducts investigations of the most complex, confidential, and diverse civil/criminal cases being considered and/or readied for court action and prosecution; obtains additional information, evidence, and facts to clarify or substantiate findings of law enforcement agencies; secures, interviews, and interrogates witnesses complainants, and suspects; conducts highly confidential investigations.

• Investigator IV: Performs and/or supervises investigations involving suspected or actual violations of civil, administrative and/or criminal laws, rules, regulations or other legal requirements within an agency's jurisdiction; determines case approach and gathers supporting evidence or information; prepares reports; and performs other related duties as assigned. An investigator independently performing the full range of investigations within an agency's jurisdiction where the work regularly is of a complex nature, but is limited to investigating violations that are related to a specific program area, such as, welfare fraud, controlled substances, regulated industries, consumer protection, etc. Resolving conflicts in facts or evidence and establishing their interrelationships are substantially difficult. The investigator may deal with voluminous information, scores of witnesses and informants with conflicting information and may come up against clever individuals who cover up their criminal acts in a manner that is nearly undetectable. Difficulty is generated by the person or persons under investigation. Such person or persons may be socially or politically prominent; e.g., doctors, lawyers, politicians, business people, etc. Original investigative assignments may grow into complex ones; e.g., initial civil investigation leads on to administrative and criminal violations involving not only one person, but several persons. OR As part of a one or two investigators who are responsible for the small investigative program in an agency, without higher level investigative supervisory guidance. These investigators are responsible for the day-to-day operations of their respective investigative program areas, including the promotion of public understanding and cooperation; recommendation of changes to laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures; conduct of education and training activities; establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with law enforcement and other agencies, as well as, maintaining records, preparing reports and performing other administrative duties. OR as the working supervisory investigator in an agency where investigations are carried out according to standard policies and procedures, from planning through fact-finding to reporting the results of investigations.
• Investigator III: Conducts investigations pertaining to an agency's investigative program; prevents and/or detects violations of laws, rules and regulations within an agency's jurisdiction; investigates complaints filed by the public or others; develops and secures information or evidence; prepares reports; and performs other related duties as assigned.
• Investigator II: Performs a limited range of investigative activities in the prevention and detection of violations of laws, rules and regulations falling within an agency's jurisdiction; gathers information; prepares reports; and performs other related duties as assigned.
• Investigator I: Receives orientation and training in the investigative field; learns basic investigative techniques and procedures, as well as laws, rules and regulations pertaining to an agency's jurisdiction; receives simple and routine assignments; and performs other related duties as assigned. As the entry trainee level in the series, positions in this class receive formal and on-the-job training in investigative methods, techniques, procedures and laws, rules and regulations pertinent to an agency's jurisdiction. Initially, the investigator is primarily an observer in working with higher level investigators, but as experience is gained, selected investigative duties are assigned.[4]

The Attorney General of Hawaii is the chief legal and law enforcement officer of Hawaii. In present-day statehood within the United States, he or she is appointed by the elected governor with the approval of the state senate and is responsible for a state department charged with advising the various other departments and agencies of state government. He or she is responsible for the prosecution of offenses to the constitution and prescribed laws called Hawaii Revised Statutes. The Attorney General can only be removed by an act of the state senate. In rare occasions, the Attorney General serves as acting governor in the absence of both the governor and lieutenant governor from the state for an extended period of time.[5]

Attorney General Criminal Investigations Unit uses the Hawaii State Law Enforcement Rank Structure:

• Chief Special Investigator (EM-07) (General)
• Chief Investigator (EM-05) (Major General)
• Investigator VI, SR-26 (Colonel)
• Investigator V, SR-24 (Captain - Commander)
• Investigator IV, SR-22 (Lieutenant)
• Investigator III, SR-20 (Sergeant)
• Investigator II, SR-18 (Officer II)
• Investigator I, SR-16 (Officer)

[6]

Department of the Attorney General 425 Queen Street Honolulu, HI 96813 (Map) Telephone: (808) 586-1500 Fax: (808) 586-1239 [7]

The County Prosecutor's Office, Criminal Investigation Units (Hawaii County, Kauai County, Honolulu City and County, and Maui County) come under the authority and are subordinate to the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General and work closely with and perform investigations for the Attorney General. County Prosecutor Investigators also have the powers and privileges of police officers with state wide jurisdiction to effect arrest and conduct investigations.

• Hawaii Prosecuting Attorney Office, Criminal Investigations Unit - Hawai‘i
• Kauai Prosecuting Attorney Office, Criminal Investigations Unit - Kaua‘i, Ni‘ihau
• Maui Prosecuting Attorney Office, Investigative Services Division - Maui, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘ī
• City and County of Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Office, Criminal Investigations Unit - Oahu

• List of law enforcement agencies in Hawaii
• Government of Hawaii
• Hawaii Prosecuting Attorney Office, Criminal Investigations Unit

• Official website