Considering Hawaii Island’s vast and oftentimes rough terrain, the Hawaii Police Department announced its police officers are now authorized to use pickup trucks with an open bed as subsidized police vehicles, according to a county news release.
As a result, island residents may see more of these trucks on the road and more offices driving pickup trucks with the signature blue lights and sirens while on patrol.
“Given that Hawaii Island encompasses vast swaths of rural — and very rugged — terrain, we anticipate our police officers will be able to serve the community better, faster, and most importantly, safer,” said Police Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz in the release.
Officers are authorized to use “crew cab” configurations with four full-sized doors that include:
- 2021-2023 Ford F150 Crew Cab, short bed
- 2021-2023 Toyota Tundra Crew Cab
- 2019-2023 Chevrolet Silverado, 1500 Crew Cab, short bed
- 2019-2023 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab, short bed
2019-2023 Ram 1500 (5th generation/non-classic) Crew Cab, short bed
The Hawaii Police Department urges motorists who see blue emergency lights illuminated atop these vehicles to slow down and pull over. Officers using these pickup trucks with blue lights may be on their way to an emergency or conducting a traffic stop. They should be in uniform.
If you are unsure about a police vehicle, slow down, pull over and call the police non-emergency line at 808-935-3311 to verify the officer’s license plate.
The public can view a video about the new initiative on the Hawaii PD’s YouTube channel.
Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.
