Women make up a fraction of law enforcement departments, but research shows they use less force than male officers and are the subject of fewer lawsuits and complaints.
Police departments in Hawaii are being asked to significantly boost the number of women in their ranks with the recent passage of House Bill 2231, which aims to increase diversity among law enforcement agencies in the state.
The bill, which awaits the governor’s signature, sets a goal of having 30% of law enforcement staff be women or people who identify as nonbinary by 2030. The measure also calls for departments to recruit officers from diverse backgrounds. About 13% of sworn personnel in the Honolulu Police Department were women in 2023, on par with the national average.
Improving the diversity of law enforcement agencies nationwide is vital for fostering trust between those agencies and the public, legislators acknowledged in the bill, referencing key findings in the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing that shows the need for greater representation of women and minorities in law enforcement roles across the country.
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The Honolulu Police Department set ambitious goals in the past for increasing the number of women on the force but has made only incremental progress, inching from 10% of the force in 2014 to 13% in 2023. (Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022)
Persistent barriers remain between women and jobs in law enforcement, though, including entrenched departmental cultures favoring men and policies that hinder the balance between policing careers and family responsibilities, according to a 2019 National Institute of Justice report.
“I’m glad they are pushing to bring in more female officers,” said Erica Paredes, a deputy sheriff at the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement. “It will be a great opportunity for us to show we belong as well.”
Paredes said her department employs fewer than 20 women out of 400 people on staff. She knows of only one other woman working in her entire building.
“You have these masculine guys,” Paredes said, “and then you have females that remind people of aunty or mom. So it’s a different thing we bring to the table.”
Besides a written test, Paredes said she had to pass a physical agility test that included running 1.5 miles in less than 18 minutes, alongside minimums for push-ups and sit-ups. There also were psychological exams, voice analysis assessments and tests on legal knowledge. Paredes recalled it took her a year to complete the process, including six months spent at the police academy.
Paredes, who has three children, said the transition into law enforcement was difficult in the beginning, as she had to rebalance her life.
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“You have the role of being there as a mom and kind of having to be there for your kids when it comes time for school work or bedtime,” Paredes said, “and sometimes, you’re not able to be there.”
Multiple agencies, including the Honolulu Police Department and the State of Hawaii Organization Of Police Officers, submitted testimony in support of the bill.
The Policing Project at NYU School of Law, while applauding the ambition of having 30% female officers in every law enforcement agency in the state by 2030, pointed out that it might be unrealistic due to the staff retirement and turnover required to make that happen. The organization recommended in testimony that Hawaii set a more achievable target of having 30% women in recruit classes by 2030.
The Policing Project is one of the organizations behind the national 30×30 Initiative, an effort to increase the representation of women in police recruit classes to 30% by 2030. The project also focuses on ensuring that department policies and culture actively support the success of qualified women officers throughout their careers.
Tanya Meisenholder, director of gender equity at the Policing Project, says the initiative has seen results.
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“Madison, Wisconsin, for instance, just got over 30% for recruiting women and we’ve also seen a number of agencies put policies in place around pregnancy and maternal leave,” Meisenholder said. “Hawaii could potentially see these impacts in the long run.”
Sen. Karl Rhoads, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the bill is a first step in the right direction.
“It’s important to have diversity in any profession, people from various backgrounds and educational perspectives,” Rhoads said, “especially in law enforcement.”
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With the popular luau Paradise Cove Luau in the Ko Olina development on Oahu set to close at the end of the year, and following the announcement of a Duke’s Restaurant opening in Ko Olina, plans have been revealed for a new cultural framework and cultural programming.
The Native Hawaiian-led organization Hawaiian Council will be taking the lead, creating cultural workshops, such as lei making and lauhala weaving, for residents and visitors. It’s also planned two major productions in 2026: A luau with Hawaiian, Tahitian and Samoan storytelling and a play titled “The Epic Tale of Hiiaka.”
“As native Hawaiians, our culture holds the stories, truths and responsibilities of this place — our island home,” said Kuhio Lewis, CEO of Hawaiian Council. “What we are building with Ko Olina is far more than a set of programs. It is a cultural foundation that restores dignity to our traditions, opens doors for our people and ensures that Hawaiian stories are told by Hawaiian voices.”
Jeffrey Stone, the master developer of Ko Olina Resort, added, “Ko Olina today stands at the threshold of a new era, one centered on embracing native Hawaiian culture and restoring the original intent and spirit of Hawaiian hospitality. This renewed vision recognizes the profound responsibility Ko Olina holds as one of Hawaii’s premier resort destinations to honor culture, uplift community and model what the future of tourism in Hawaii can and should be.”
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Ko Olina, on Oahu’s western side, also houses the Four Seasons Resort Ohau at Ko Olina and Disney’s Aulani Resort.
Each week before Cal plays a football game, we ask someone who covers Cal’s next opponent five questions about that opponent.
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To answer questions about Cal’s Hawaii Bowl opponent Hawaii this week we enlisted the services of Stephen Tsai, who covers Hawaii football for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and has been named Hawaii sports writer of the year seven times.
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We were particularly intrigued by his answer to Question No. 5, where Tsai noted that there would portably be no Hawaii Bowl without Rolovich, a former Hawaii head coach and Cal’s interim head coach for the Hawaii Bowl.
—1. Every team has a home-field advantage, but it seems Hawaii has been even better than most teams at home. Is that true, and if so, why?
There are several obstacles for visiting teams. There’s the time difference. Hawaii games usually kick off at 6 p.m., which is midnight on the East Coast during daylight savings time, 11 p.m. for standard time. Because the Ching Complex is a temporary home venue, there are open areas in the corners, allowing for cross winds that affect field-goal attempts. The so-called “Manoa Mist” also impacts the ball-handling positions.
The visiting team is assigned a makeshift locker room combining the neighboring baseball stadium’s locker room and part of the concourse. Before the walls were built, the concourse area was cordoned off with curtains. Nothing like being near concession stands while preparing for a football game. Because of the time difference, a team can depart the West Coast in the morning and practice in Hawaii that afternoon. In contrast, teams lose preparation time for the next game when traveling back to the mainland.
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—2. How much will the absence of all-conference wide receiver Jackson Harris affect Hawaii’s offense?
Aside from the deep threat — he had four TDs of 70-plus yards — Harris was sure-handed (three drops in 74 targets), clutch on scramble plays (37 of his 49 receptions resulted in first downs), and used his height and reach to attack 50-50 balls. As the left wideout, Harris benefited from left-handed QB Micah Alejado’s rollouts and left slotback Pofele Ashlock’s decoy routes.
Hawaii has experienced wideouts in Karsyn Pupunu and Brandon White, but the Warriors will have to be creative to make up for Harris’ deep-pass threat.
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—3. Assess the abilities of Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado.
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Alejado is accurate and has a coach’s knowledge of the Warriors’ read-and-attack, four-wide offense. He’s quick to decipher schemes with pre-snap reads. At 5-10, Alejado is like the detective behind a one-way mirror. He can find receivers yet it is a challenge for defenders to see him behind a taller offensive line.
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—4. Who are the top two or three players on Hawaii’s offense and defense?
Alejado, running back Landon Sims and left guard and Zhen Sotelo are the impact players on offense. Jalen Smith, who can play both linebacker spots, and De’Jon Benton, who lines up as 3-tech tackle or end, provide defensive versatility. An opposing coach mused that UH could run a 1-10 formation with Benton.
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—5. Do Hawaii fans still remember Nick Rolovich, who is Cal’s interim head coach for the Hawaii Bowl?
Without Rolo, there probably would not be a Hawaii Bowl. He threw eight touchdown passes to help the Warriors stomp then-unbeaten BYU in the 2001 regular-season finale. But with no postseason bowl invitation for the 9-3 Warriors, the leaders of UH, WAC and ESPN created the Hawaii Bowl the next year.
Rolo was innovative as a UH offensive coordinator and play-calling head coach. He ran his variation of June Jones’ run-and-shoot offense. He also provided entertainment, bringing an Elvis impersonator to media day; awarding a scholarship at a wrestling match and another in a koala cage at an Australian zoo; and designing a rivalry trophy for the matchup against UNLV.
On the road, he once conducted a quarterbacks’ meeting in the hotel jacuzzi. He also coined the popular phrase: Live aloha, play Warrior.
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Honolulu police opened a murder investigation today after finding the body of a 60-year-old woman while doing a welfare check at a Hawaii Kai home.
Police said officers arrested the victim’s 29-year-old son and a 27-year-old woman who were inside the residence and identified as suspects.
After receiving a 10:25 a.m. welfare check call, HPD officers responded to a home on the 6200 block of Upolo Place and found a woman dead on the floor inside the residence.
“Preliminary investigation revealed the woman sustained fatal injuries,” HPD said.
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The two suspects were arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and the investigation is ongoing, according to police.
