By TOM CALLIS By TOM CALLIS ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald staff writer The FBI could soon have its own digs at the Hilo police station. The bureau in Honolulu has requested a 10-foot by 10-foot office for its Big Island agents to
By TOM CALLIS
Tribune-Herald staff writer
The FBI could soon have its own digs at the Hilo police station.
The bureau in Honolulu has requested a 10-foot by 10-foot office for its Big Island agents to use.
Special Agent Tom Simon said the agents on the island, including those assigned to East Hawaii, currently work out of Kona.
Simon said having an office in Hilo would allow those agents to work more efficiently when conducting investigations on the east side.
He said he could not comment on staffing levels but added that the request is not in response to any changes in the number of agents on the island.
“Conducting investigations on the Hilo side from Kona was a challenge because of the great distance,” Simon said. “Moving FBI into Hilo station space will give our special agents more time on the streets with our police partners and less time commuting across the island. It’s a logical move.”
He also said having the office doesn’t mean that there would be an agent working from the station on a full-time basis.
Marshall Kanehailua, assistant police chief, said it’s not rare for federal agents to work from the office when coordinating investigations with the Police Department.
The Police Department makes a work station available to the FBI when needed, Kanehailua said. But that doesn’t meet the bureau’s security requirements, and having an office would allow the agents to store equipment and other sensitive material in Hilo, he said.
“They have security measures they have to comply with,” Kanehailua said. “They can’t keep computers there unless the walls are secured.”
The FBI would cover the cost of securing the office space.
The Hawaii County Council’s Finance Committee voted unanimously Monday with little discussion to forward a resolution approving the request to the full council. The council could make its final decision as early as July 3.
Simon said he didn’t know specifically how long the move would take if approved, but he expects that it would occur fairly quickly.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.