The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation welcomed a new class of nine new adult corrections officers, or ACOs, at a graduation ceremony Oct. 17 at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
The graduates from Basic Corrections Recruit Class (BCRC) 25-04B completed training and will begin their careers as ACOs at facilities across the state.
Five of the new ACOs have been assigned to Hawaii Community Correctional Center, and four to Kulani Correctional Facility.
Since DCR was redesignated from the Department of Public Safety in January 2024, the department compressed its recruit training course to eight weeks from 11 weeks, while still covering critical training to ensure ACOs are well-prepared for their jobs.
Last year, the department also doubled its recruit classes to six from three to address the staffing shortage at facilities in Hawaii. DCR aims to have eight classes by the end of this year.
This new class of ACOs is the seventh to graduate from recruit training this year.
“We are proud of every graduate in this class who worked extremely hard to successfully complete the rigorous training course,” DCR Director Tommy Johnson said in a news release. “They represent a new generation of dedicated corrections officers who will one day become leaders in the corrections field.”
Currently, there are approximately 1,100 filled ACO positions and an estimated 420 vacant ACO positions.
Recruit training comprises of more than 300 hours of classroom instruction and physical training. Recruits learn a variety of subjects that include standards of conduct, ethics and professionalism, report writing, interpersonal communications, maintaining security, crisis intervention, security threat groups (gangs), mental health, first aid, use of firearms and self-defense tactics.