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The County of Hawaii Office of the Prosecuting Attorney The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney is the legal agency responsible for prosecuting all violations of State and County laws, ordinances, rules, and/or regulations on behalf of the Big Island community as provided by Hawai‘i County Charter Article IX: Chapter 28; H.R.S. 28-1.

Department Mission
The Mission at the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for Hawai‘i County is to pursue Justice with Integrity and Commitment. My staff and I are committed to making a difference in the fight against crime through effective prosecution strategies. Effective prosecution strategies include: seeking accountability for those who violate the law in our county, providing assistance to those impacted by criminal conduct, and working with the community to solve crime related problems.

In doing so, the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for Hawai‘i County provides a variety of services to help keep Hawai‘i County Safe and Healthy. The information contained in this website is designed to provide you with a general understanding of those many services.

Department Goals
• To strive for just disposition of criminal cases and to promote public safety and order through timely, efficient, and effective prosecution.

• To ensure that victims and witnesses of crimes are treated with respect, courtesy, and sensitivity in their cooperation with criminal prosecution.

• To improve the criminal justice system by identifying areas of need and working collaboratively with other criminal justice agencies and the community.

• To encourage and promote crime prevention and early intervention initiatives to improve the quality of life on the Big Island.

• To identify, promote and implement new and innovative approaches to solving crime problems.

Units
• Deputy Prosecutors - Deputy Prosecutors generally begin their assignments in District Court, which calendars traffic, misdemeanor, petty misdemeanor and criminal violations appearances and bench trials. Thereafter, deputies are assigned to Family Court, which has dedicated calendar dates for domestic violence and juvenile cases. After spending approximately one to two years in these courts, a deputy may thereafter be assigned to Circuit Court work, which includes screening, charging and trying felony and misdemeanor committal cases. Training opportunities are provided for all deputies. These include but are not limited to trial advocacy and areas of specializations such as impaired driving, domestic violence, community prosecution, crimes against children, drugs investigations and drug court, asset forfeitures, violent crimes, elder abuse, career criminal prosecution and sexual assault. Deputy Prosecutors are encouraged to be active in the state and local community bar associations, as well as other community groups. They may be requested to teach or speak to law enforcement and other groups about the criminal justice system.

• Criminal Investigations Unit

• Victim Witness Unit

• Clerical Services Unit - The Clerical Support Unit keeps pace with the word processing and information management needs of the office by extensive use of computer equipment. The clerical support staff is an integral part of successful prosecution, handling reception, case-tracking and court-related procedures.

• Administrative Unit - The Administrative Unit seeks and administers additional state and federal funding for specialized programs and manages fiscal, personnel, facilities, management information systems and a volunteer program for the largest legal agency in our county.