With 19 licenses to carry a concealed firearm issued and another 58 pending approval in Hawaii County, some Hawaii Island police officers are concerned they haven’t received proper training on encountering permit holders.
Hawaii County’s first concealed carry license was issued on Oct. 4, according to Hawaii Police Department Acting Chief Kenneth Bugado. That followed the department in late August revising rules to conform with a June 23 U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down as unconstitutional New York’s concealed carry law that required an individual to prove “proper cause” existed before a license would be issued.
Though licenses were being issued on Hawaii Island, active duty personnel within the department said training was lacking for law enforcement personnel on encountering these permit holders. After hearing concerns from numerous officers, West Hawaii Today reached out to Bugado on Oct. 25 to respond to the training protocol in place.
“A training curriculum was developed by our Training Section to train our officers on encountering citizens legally carrying a concealed firearm. This is in addition to, and does not change the training that our officers have received in other weapons training, such as high-risk weapons training and traffic stops,” Bugado said in an emailed response.
In a follow-up email, Bugado said the training was implemented the same day West Hawaii Today made the initial inquiry.
The training disseminated Oct. 25 to officers, according to the law enforcement sources whom the newspaper has granted anonymity to protect their identities, included a Power Point presentation of approximately 10 slides that gave officers information regarding where a CCW permit holder could carry their weapon, illustration of a permit holder card and a short quiz at the conclusion of the presentation. The training also covered open carry permits.
According to Bugado, there have not been any incidents reported with officer encounters with a permit holder since licenses began being issued Oct. 4.
“My concern is someone, whether a police officer or permit holder, will get hurt. A Power Point presentation does not substitute for real life scenarios,” said one of the officers about the training provided to the 480-plus officers that serve and protect Hawaii Island.
Another officer told West Hawaii Today that the training was knee jerk and didn’t address real life situations.
“We never had to deal with this before,” the member of the department said. “We put the cart before the horse. This is uncharted territory. The problem now is teaching old dogs new tricks.”
Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas also raised concern over training.
“It’s vital to the health and safety of our community and our first responders that police and fire personnel be provided a thorough and comprehensive training program specifically focused on concealed carry weapon interactions and protocol,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Hawaii County Council has been debating the issue of locations on the island where license owners would be prohibited from carrying a firearm following the summer Supreme Court ruling. However, a consensus on Bill 220 introduced by Councilman Aaron Chung has yet to be reached. The bill, now in its second draft, is set to be taken up today by the full council.
Most council members, as well as the public, have said the list of 10 categories of “sensitive places” where a weapon could not be carried was far too long. The list includes hospitals, schools, daycare centers and parks, churches, voter service centers, airports and public transit vehicles, establishments that serve alcohol, government buildings and private property that is open to the public, unless posted.
Until the county or state Legislature — which convenes in January — legislate the matter, federal guidelines will remain in place. Those guidelines prohibit license holders from carrying a weapon on federal property and courthouses.
“The legal carrying of a concealed firearms by citizens is a big change in the culture that we are used to. For the safety of our officers and the citizens who are legally licensed to carry a firearm, I would ask that any citizen legally carrying to notify Police upon contact that they are licensed and are carrying a firearm,” said Bugado. “Citizens legally licensed to carry concealed firearms in public is a big change in culture for us. Bill 220 will help to protect certain public safety interests, helping to ensure the overall safety of the community.”
James “Kana” Correa, State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers Hawaii Chapter chairman, said SHOPO supports an individual’s Second Amendment rights, and supports the ability for responsible individuals to obtain a concealed carry permit as long as there are appropriate safeguards.
“Permit carriers should be required to take and pass a firearms training and safety course. In the field, our officers cannot distinguish between an individual with a gun that is a permit-holder versus one who has a gun illegally, so part of any required training for those seeking a concealed carry permit should include how to safely interact with law enforcement officers while armed and ensure they inform officers that they are armed when they interact with officers,” he said.
Additionally, he said, local law enforcement, judges, medical and mental health professionals, and other qualified professionals should be able to petition the court for the removal of firearms and/or a CCW license from felons, domestic abusers, violent criminals, drug addicts, and the mentally ill.”
Email Laura Ruminski at lruminski@westhawaiitoday.com.