Aloha State News

Department of Public Safety issued the following announcement on Nov. 25.

The Department of Public Safety (PSD) announced the appointment  of William “Billy” Oku Jr. as the State Sheriff. Oku leads the  department’s Sheriff Division, effective December 1, 2020.

“Billy will bring valuable experience in his new role as Sheriff,”  said PSD Acting Director Edmund “Fred” Hyun. “Billy has a wealth of law  enforcement and security management experience going back over 30 years.  He will provide effective leadership, accountability, and will strive  to obtain accreditation and certification through the Commission on  Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA) which requires a comprehensive  and uniform written directive that clearly define authority,  performance, and responsibility.”

“The Department welcomes State Sheriff Billy Oku and looks forward to  the professionalism and leadership qualities he will bring to the  Sheriff’s Division.”, said Deputy Director for Law Enforcement Jordan  Lowe.

Oku began his career in law enforcement in 1981 as a state law  enforcement officer under the Attorney General’s Office and in 1983,  transferred to the State of Hawaii Sheriff’s Division as a Deputy  Sheriff. In 1988, Oku joined the Honolulu Police Department, working in  Patrol, Specialized Services Division (SWAT), Crime Reduction Unit, and  Criminal Investigations Divisions Gang Task Force. In 2000, Oku  laterally transferred from the Honolulu Police Department to the State  of Washington and worked as a Deputy Sheriff for Pierce County Sheriff’s  Department. In 2001 he moved on to work as a Nuclear Officer for  Pacific Gas and Electric’s Nuclear Power Plant in California. Upon  return to Hawaii in 2003, Oku continued his career as an Assistant  Security Director for Ala Moana Center and then Operations Manager for  Akal Security and Investigations. While at Akal, he served as the  regional operations branch manager responsible for oversight of the  armed officers assigned to the U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii,  as well as those assigned to the Transportation Security Administration  (TSA) K-9 Unit at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, and at  Hickam Air Force Base.  In 2010, retired HPD Chief of Police Lee Donohue  appointed Oku to serve as his Chief of Staff in the Honolulu City  Council.

Up until his appointment as State Sheriff, Oku served as Senior  Special Assistant in the Office of the Governor and was also tasked as  the lead for the State Law Enforcement Coalition (SLEC), working with  State and County entities addressing COVID-19 initiatives under Major  General Kenneth S. Hara.

The current Sheriff Al Cummings is retiring on December 1, 2020, after 40 years of service to the state.

Original source can be found here.