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Disgraced law enforcement officers and ex-felons are among Hawaii’s licensed security guards
Hawaiʻi's Board of Private Detectives and Guards licenses individuals with criminal records and former officers amid high demand for security jobs in the tourism-driven economy, with nearly 12,000 active licenses.
- Civil Beat found Ryan Hitoshi Konishi and Sheldon V. Watts Jr. are among seven former officers licensed as security guards by the state Board of Private Detectives and Guards.
- With a tourism-heavy economy, Hawaiʻi has issued over 15,000 licenses through the Board of Private Detectives and Guards, created under Act 208 to regulate rising security jobs.
- Licensed guards must complete eight hour-long training modules and fingerprint-based background checks, but employers ultimately vet hires; the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs now accepts self-attestation and uses random audits to verify compliance.
- A recent wrongful-death lawsuit alleges two Allied Universal guards assaulted a man who died, while one defendant, Barry DeBlake, lacked required certification and the board has two vacancies after an audit sample of 358 people.
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Disgraced Law Enforcement Officers and Ex-Felons Are Among Hawaii's Licensed Security Guards
As Honolulu police officer Ryan Hitoshi Konishi faced charges in 2020 for assaulting a family member that were likely to end his career, he resigned. In fall 2024, after two years of probation and community service, he became a licensed security guard.
·New York, United States
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Associated Press News+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
Disgraced law enforcement officers and ex-felons are among Hawaii's licensed security guards
As Honolulu police officer Ryan Hitoshi Konishi faced charges in 2020 for assaulting a family member that were likely to end his career, he resigned.
·United States
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources6
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
L 33%
C 67%
Factuality
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