Gov. David Ige on Friday signed House Bill 2171 into law at a ceremony at the state Capitol rotunda, establishing a new Department of Law Enforcement in Hawaii.

The new department, expected to be operational on Jan. 1, 2024, would bring all criminal law enforcement and investigation functions from various state agencies under a single entity, whether it be harbor police, sheriff’s deputies or investigators from the Department of the Attorney General and the Office of Homeland Security.

The law also renames and reestablishes the Department of Public Safety as an independent Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

“Hawaii is the only state in the country that doesn’t have a centralized, independent state law enforcement agency,” said Ige in a news release. “The new department will allow more efficient and effective emergency response, criminal law enforcement, investigations and homeland security operations.”

The major reorganization separates two distinct functions — law enforcement and investigations, and corrections and rehabilitation — into individual entities. Both currently fall under the umbrella of the Department of Public Safety.

Establishing the two separate departments will allow the state to give more attention to their core missions and streamline complex, multi-island investigations while creating a centralized command for critical incident management, Ige said.

“The new department will ensure that there are uniform standards for officers to follow,” the governor said. “I believe that this will go a long way toward increasing public trust.”

Completing a major reorganization of state functions during a single legislative session was a monumental task requiring cooperation between the executive and legislative branches, he added.

According to the governor’s office, the last time a new department was formed in the state was over 30 years ago, in 1989, with the creation of the Department of Public Safety.

The bill appropriates $900,000 to hire necessary people to create the framework and infrastructure for the new department, including a new director of law enforcement, two deputy directors and various administrative positions.

The bill, now Act 278, also establishes a training center within the department to provide “the highest level” of core training and continuing education, and where all officers must be certified.

A transition team is expected to begin the hiring process and framework for the new Department of Law Enforcement this month. Both departments affected by the new law are expected to become independent and fully operational by Jan. 1, 2024.

The bill was supported by Department of Public Safety’s Sheriff Division, the Department of Accounting and General Services, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Department of the Attorney General.

DPS Director Max Otani testified in strong support of the bill during the legislative session, saying a new Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation would allow it to more “effectively focus on the safety and well-being of the inmates sentenced to its custody and care and better prepare inmates for successful reentry and reintegration back into the community.”