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Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement, Sheriff Division entry pay
What this agency pays a new officer to start, and how that compares with the rest of the country.
Entry pay onlyEvery salary here is what an officer is paid on day one, out of the academy — base pay on a 40-hour week, with no overtime, shift differential, specialty or education pay counted. Nobody stays on it.
Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement, Sheriff Division starts at $60,024 a year — about $28.86 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $8,366 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $5,350 below the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Hawaii run about 10% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $54,592 somewhere at average prices — $5,432 less than the headline figure. Most of that is utilities, at 190 against a national average of 100, where goods are 112. Based on state-wide price levels, because this agency is not tied to a single metro area, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. The salary above is what the employer publishes; this line is our arithmetic on it, and nothing on this site is ranked on it.
About Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement,
The Sheriff Division of Hawaii's Department of Law Enforcement carries out law enforcement services across the whole state — the only sheriff's department in the United States that serves an entire state, and in effect Hawaii's state police, since an archipelago has no need of a highway patrol. Its mission is to preserve the peace by protecting people and property on premises under the control of the Judiciary and in all state facilities, serving process and executing court documents, handling detained persons and transporting people in custody. Deputies arrest, book and process people entering the criminal justice system, escort and transport juvenile and adult inmates between islands for court appearances, serve arrest warrants and execute writs of possession. The division also polices Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, assists the Harbors Division with waterway security, runs a canine unit detecting narcotics and explosives, provides security at Maui Memorial Hospital, Hawaii State Hospital and Fort Ruger, and gives executive protection to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Its ranks run from Deputy Sheriff I, a trainee still in the academy, to Deputy Sheriff V, a branch captain.
Shifts at Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement,
The Department publishes a Special Duty Officer request process, through which outside parties can request a State of Hawaiʻi Sheriff deputy.
Special duty is paid work outside your roster, and it is easy to lose track of what it adds up to over a year. BlueShifts records off-duty jobs beside your shifts, and its off-duty statistical calculator does the arithmetic for you.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 9 August 2026. State of Hawai‘i, Department of Law Enforcement — Deputy Sheriff II (SR-18), Job Number DLE-2026-05 — open the source document
$60,024. Official State of Hawai‘i civil service posting, opened 24 April 2026; checked 9 August 2026
Entry-level base salary only. Overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift
differentials, locality pay and lateral rates are excluded, so most officers earn more
than this.
Counted as both county and state. Hawaii has no state police or highway patrol. The Sheriff Division serves an entire state AND is that state's de facto state police, so it counts as both. It appears on both lists and is counted ONCE in the national totals, so no figure here is double-counted.
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How this level compares
Where Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement, sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.
| Level | Lowest | Median | Highest | Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | $35,006 | $71,287 | $163,619 | 1046 |
| County | $36,492 | $65,374 | $132,263 | 416 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,195 | $107,954 | 69 |
| State | $33,994 | $64,998 | $102,692 | 143 |
| Federal | $70,477 | $73,502 | $86,530 | 5 |
| Territory | $16,640 | $28,236 | $43,354 | 9 |
Federal agencies pay the most to start
The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $2,200 more than the middle municipal agency and about $8,100 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,500 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement, starts at $60,024, so $5,350 below the county middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement, Sheriff Division officer make?
Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement, Sheriff Division starts a new officer on $60,024 a year, about $28.86 an hour on a 2,080-hour year. That is base salary before overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials and locality pay, so most serving officers earn more. The figure comes from State of Hawai‘i, Department of Law Enforcement — Deputy Sheriff II (SR-18), Job Number DLE-2026-05.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Hawaii?
It ranks #5 of 6 agencies we have verified in Hawaii — 1 pay less, 4 pay more in the state — and #1,235 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $8,366 below, and against other county agencies $5,350 below.
What shifts do Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement, Sheriff Division officers work?
The Department publishes a Special Duty Officer request process, through which outside parties can request a State of Hawaiʻi Sheriff deputy. That is the agency's own published wording; the pattern is drawn on this page.
Compare with another department
Put Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement, Sheriff Division side by side with any other agency on the site — the two salaries, what each is worth once local prices are counted, and which comes out ahead.
The agencies either side of it
Other agencies in HI
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Hawaii | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honolulu Police Department | Municipal | 1,785 | $87,108 | +$27,084 | #262 |
| 2 | Hawai'i Police Department | Municipal | — | $83,808 | +$23,784 | #313 |
| 3 | Maui Police Department | Municipal | — | $83,808 | +$23,784 | #315 |
| 4 | Kaua'i Police Department | Municipal | — | $83,808 | +$23,784 | #316 |
| 6 | Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources — Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement | State | — | $55,476 | −$4,548 | #1,411 |
Base pay is only part of the year
Whatever the figure above, the rotation is what decides your year — which weekends you lose, when the changeovers land, what you can plan around. Save yours once and BlueShifts shows it a year ahead, with the off-duty jobs you take and what each one paid.
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