Honolulu Police Department
Encyclopedia
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
of the City and County of Honolulu
Honolulu County, Hawaii
The City and County of Honolulu is a consolidated city–county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The municipality and county includes both the urban district of Honolulu and the rest of the island of Oahu, as well as several minor outlying islands, including all of the Northwestern Hawaiian...
, Hawai'i
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, headquartered in the Alapa'i Police Headquarters in Honolulu CDP
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
.
Founded in 1932, the police department serves the entire island of O'ahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
(which is coextensive with the City and County of Honolulu), covering over 600 square miles (1,554 km²) of territory, with just over 900,000 residents (not including military members) and over four million annual visitors. The island is divided into 8 patrol districts which are then subdivided into sectors and beats. HPD currently has more than 2,500 employees, 2,134 of which are full-time sworn officers. A 2003 Department of Justice report listed HPD as the 21st largest police department in the nation.
Unlike the other 49 states
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
, Hawai'i does not have a state police
State police
State police are a type of sub-national territorial police force, particularly in Australia and the United States. Some other countries have analogous police forces, such as the provincial police in some Canadian provinces, while in other places, the same responsibilities are held by national...
agency per se or individual city agencies; law enforcement is the jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
of the individual county governments. HPD is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., is a credentialing authority , based in the United States, whose primary mission is to accredited public safety agencies, namely law enforcement agencies, training academies, communications centers, and campus public safety...
(CALEA).
Kingdom of Hawai'i
In 1840, the Supreme Court of Kamehameha IIIKamehameha III
Kamehameha III was the King of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau Iokikilo Kiwalao i ke kapu Kamehameha when he ascended the throne.Under his...
established the first constitution for the Kingdom of Hawai'i
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
. The constitution paved the way for the Act to Organize the Executive Departments of the Government signed on April 27, 1846. The law created the office of marshal of the kingdom, the highest ranking police officer in the nation. He nominated, instructed, supervised and controlled the sheriffs of the kingdom of which there were four, one for each administrative region of Kaua'i
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, O'ahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Mau'i
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
and Hawai'i
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
. Each sheriff administered a corps of constables officially appointed by the four royal governors. Constables wore a distinct police insignia that consisted of a scarlet crown with the initials KIII in honor of Kamehameha III. The insignia was worn on the arm and on a red band on their police hats.
Territory of Hawai'i
In 1893, the Kingdom of Hawai'i was replaced by the Provisional Government of Hawai'iProvisional Government of Hawaii
The Provisional Government of Hawaii abbreviated "P.G." was proclaimed on January 17, 1893 by the 13 member Committee of Safety under the leadership of Sanford B. Dole...
which quickly deposed the marshal of the kingdom and dissolved the constabulary. In 1894, the newly proclaimed Republic of Hawai'i
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands...
formed its own police system.
After a few years under the governance of the Territory of Hawai'i
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
, four county governments were established out of the original administrative regions of the monarchy. In 1905, each county established a police department led by an appointed sheriff. Police officers wore an octagon-shaped police badge similar in appearance to those of other police departments of the period. In the 1920s the badge was redesigned with an eagle on top.
Sheriffs of Honolulu
In Hawaii, the Office of Sheriff falls under the Sheriff Division of the Hawaii Department of Public SafetyHawaii Department of Public Safety
The Hawaii Department of Public Safety is a department with in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is headquartered in Room 400 in the 919 Ala Moana Boulevard building in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu...
. It is the functional equivalent of a state police department and has the distinction of making Hawaii the only U.S. state without an officially named state police department and one of two with a statewide Sheriff's Department (the other being Rhode Island). Although the Sheriff Division's jurisdiction covers the entire state, its primary functions are judicial and executive protection, security at the Hawaii State Capitol
Hawaii State Capitol
The Hawaii State Capitol is the official statehouse or capitol building of Hawaii in the United States. From its chambers, the executive and legislative branches perform the duties involved in governing the state...
, law-enforcement at Hawaii's airports, narcotics enforcement, prisoner transportation, the processing and service of court orders and warrants
Warrant (law)
Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is...
, and the patrol of certain roads and waterways in conjunction with other state agencies.
Additional state-wide law enforcement is provided by the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) which patrols State lands, State Parks, historic sites, forest reserves, aquatic life and wildlife areas, coastal zones, Conservation districts, State beaches, as well as county ordinances involving county parks. The division also enforces laws relating to firearms, ammunition, and dangerous weapons. DLNR officers have full police powers.
Establishment
In response to a crime wave in the late 1920s as a result of increased racial tensions between whites and local ethnics, Territorial Governor Lawrence M. JuddLawrence M. Judd
Lawrence McCully Judd was a politician of the Territory of Hawaii, serving as the seventh Territorial Governor. He was devoted to the Hansen's Disease-afflicted residents of Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai.-Life:...
appointed a Governor's Advisory Committee on Crime. The committee recommended that a police commission be appointed by the mayor of Honolulu whose duty it would be to appoint a chief of police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
and to supervise the operating of the police department. The committee also advised that the office of sheriff should be retained and charged with the duty of serving civil process, of maintaining the Honolulu prison system and to act as coroner. On January 22, 1932, a special session of the territorial legislature passed Act 1, establishing the Honolulu Police Commission and creating the office of chief of police. Thus was born the modern Honolulu Police Department as it exists today.
Martial law
After the attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on December 7, 1941, Territorial Governor Joseph B. Poindexter declared martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
and Hawai'i fell under military governance under the Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...
. The Honolulu Police Department became a deputized military force. The word "Emergency" was etched above the "Honolulu" on the seven-point star badges of police officers. For the duration of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Honolulu Police Department was forced to impose restrictions on civil liberties and hand people over for trial by a military judge. Martial law ended after the end of the war in 1945.
Interestingly, the San José State Spartans
San José State Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans is the name of the athletic teams representing San Jose State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Western Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division I level...
football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team served with the Honolulu Police Department for the duration of World War II; the team had played a game against the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Warriors
Hawaii Warriors football
The Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
but were stranded in Hawai'i after the Pearl Harbor attack.
Modernization
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
Alfred Karratti and embodies Hawaiian tradition and culture in its motifs. One feature that Detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
Karratti kept was the use of the Pulo'ulo'u or kapu staffs. They are symbols of law and order
Law and order (politics)
In politics, law and order refers to demands for a strict criminal justice system, especially in relation to violent and property crime, through harsher criminal penalties...
from ancient Hawai'i
Ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
.
The most aggressive programs of modernization for the Honolulu Police Department came in the 1990s. It was furnished with a fleet of new Ford Crown Victoria
Ford Crown Victoria
-1992–1994:Released in March 1991 as an early 1992 model, the Crown Victoria sedan was completely redesigned with a rounder, eight-window roofline . The redesign reduced the coefficient of drag from 0.42 to 0.34; the suspension setup was also heavily revised...
police car
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
s equipped with on-board computers and a fleet of BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
police motorcycle
Police motorcycle
A police motorcycle is a motorcycle used by various police forces and departments. They may be custom designed to meet the requirements unique of a particular use. A police motorcycle is often called a "motor" by police officers in the United States...
s. Officers also have the choice of using their own private vehicle for law enforcement duties as part of a subsidized program. The vehicle has sirens installed and removable blue police light which is put on the roof of the officers' car. On October 16, 1992, the Honolulu Police Department opened its multi-million dollar state-of-the-art police headquarters in downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, governmental, and central part of Honolulu—bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Honolulu Harbor to the south—situated within the larger Honolulu District...
. The building was called Hale Maka'i and featured the latest technical advances of its time including a DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
crime lab unit, one of the first of its kind in the nation.
Reserves
Back in 1941, to provide for any eventuality that may occur, Honolulu Police Chief William A. Gabrielson and the Oahu Police Commission set out to establish an emergency police reserve force. 150 business and professional men responded to the call for volunteers. The Federal Bureau of Investigation helped to screen interested applicants, and 124 candidates were appointed on July 23, 1941. They completed the required training and within four months became commissioned Honolulu Police reserve officers. When enemy planes attacked Pearl Harbor, the police reserves responded to the attack. Since then, reserve officers have augmented the regular Honolulu Police Department force with many man-hours of volunteer police work. The Honolulu Police Reserves are composed of men and women from the community who volunteer each week to work alongside regular police officers. A police reserve officer must be willing to serve without compensation or financial obligation from the City and County of Honolulu. A police reserve officer is required to report for duty at least once a week for a minimum five hour tour of duty.Police Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
s are also considered reserve officers in their duties to the department. They are commissioned officers without police powers. The Chaplain corps assist the Peer Support Unit in responding to crisis and intervention with officers and employees of the department. Chaplains have distinguished themselves within their profession and the general law enforcement community.
Line of duty deaths
To date, the Honolulu Police Department has lost 43 officers in the line of duty. The most recent, Officer Eric Fontes, died on September 13, 2011, when struck by a pickup truck on the Farrington HighwayFarrington Highway
Farrington Highway is a major highway through the western part of O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Starting from Kamehameha Highway north of Pearl Harbor, it heads west along the island's southwestern and western coast; another part of the highway also serves the western part of the North Shore,...
during a routine traffic stop. Prior to this loss, Sergeant Harry Joseph Coelho, a 21-year veteran, died on May 20, 2007 of a heart attack while intervening in a fight involving two men at Haleiwa Beach Park. Officer Steve Favela, an 8-year veteran, died November 26, 2006, five days after sustaining critical injuries when he lost control of his police motorcycle while escorting the motorcade
Motorcade
A motorcade is a procession of vehicles. The term motorcade was coined by Lyle Abbot , and is formed after cavalcade on the false notion that "-cade" was a suffix meaning "procession"...
of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on rain-slickened roadways at Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Field, re-named Hickam Air Force Base in 1948, was a United States Air Force facility now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam.- History :...
.
Duty weapons
Currently, the standard issue firearm for Honolulu Police Officers is the Smith & Wesson Model 5906 chambered in 9mm. For their service weapon, officers are not allowed to carry anything other than the standard sidearm. For long guns, officers are eligible for weapons allowances to purchase handguns (as backup weapons or off-duty carry), rifles, and shotguns. Approved long guns can be the AR-15AR-15
The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials....
rifle, Remington 870
Remington 870
The Remington Model 870 is a U.S.-made pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, Inc. It is widely used by the public for sport shooting, hunting, and self-defense. It is also commonly used by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.-Development:The Remington 870 was...
or Benelli M1 (Super 90) shotgun. Although most Officers carry their own personal long guns while on duty, respective stations throughout the island have a small arsenal of AR-15s and less than lethal shotguns in the event they are needed.
In popular culture
The Honolulu Police Department has been the backdrop of several famous works of fiction, in literature, television and in motion pictures.Charlie Chan
One of the most famous fictional literary detectives attached to the Honolulu Police Department was Charlie ChanCharlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
. Chan, inspired in part by the career of HPD vice detective Chang Apana
Chang Apana
Chang Apana was a Chinese-Hawaiian member of the Honolulu Police Department, first as an officer, then as a detective. He is the officially acknowledged inspiration for the fictional Asian detective character, Charlie Chan.-Early life:Ah Ping Chang was born December 26, 1871 in Waipio, Oahu,...
, was created in the 1920s by Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers was an American novelist and playwright. He is remembered primarily for adaptations of his novels, especially those featuring the Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan.-Biography:...
and had become one of the most important figures in American mystery fiction. In addition to being the hero of six novels, Chan became the subject of some forty films between the 1930s and 1950s. He, along with his family, was also made the subject of a short-lived ABC/Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
cartoon series in the mid-1970s.
Hawaiian Eye
From October 1959 to September 1963, Hawaiian EyeHawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:...
was a crime drama aired on the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television network. Actors Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the 1965 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West, and his portrayal of World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep...
and Anthony Eisley
Anthony Eisley
Anthony Eisley was born Frederick Glendinning Eisley in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whose father was a general sales manager for a large corporation. Father of Amanda Eisley, Jonathan Eisley, Nan R...
played private detectives fighting crime in Honolulu. Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...
played Cricket, a singer at the Hawaiian Village Hotel bar which the guys frequented at least once a show. Mel Prestidge played Lt. Danny Quon, a Honolulu Police Lieutenant.
Hawaii Five-O
The most famous Hawaii based crime drama was Hawaii Five-OHawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
which aired on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television network from September 1968 to April 1980. Until Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, Hawaii Five-O was the longest running crime series on American television. Jack Lord
Jack Lord
John Joseph Patrick Ryan , best known by his stage name Jack Lord, was an American television, film, and Broadway actor. He was known for his starring role as Steve McGarrett in the American television program Hawaii Five-O from 1968 to 1980. Lord appeared in feature films earlier in his career,...
starred as Steve McGarrett, head of the elite state law enforcement office which worked alongside the chief of the Honolulu Police Department. James MacArthur
James MacArthur
James Gordon MacArthur was an American actor best known for the role of Danny "Danno" Williams, the reliable second-in-command of the fictional Hawaiian State Police squad Hawaii Five-O.-Early life:...
starred as Danny Williams, McGarrett's right-hand man. McGarrett and "Dano" were straight-jawed men with shellacked hair fighting the forces of evil around the islands, especially in seedy downtown dives. Kam Fong (who played Det. Chin Ho Kelly) was in real life a former HPD officer during World War Two.
A modern day reimagining
Hawaii Five-O (2010 TV series)
Hawaii Five-0 is an American police procedural drama television series and a re-imagining of the original 1968–1980 television series. The series is produced by K/O Paper Products and 101st Street Television in association with CBS Productions...
of the series began airing in September 2010.
Magnum, P.I.
From December 1980 to September 1988, Magnum, P.I.Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
aired on the same network as Hawaii Five-O (in fact, some of the shooting was done on the same sound stage.). Starring Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
as former U.S. Naval Intelligence and SEAL officer (and Detroit native) Thomas Magnum, Magnum, P.I. is about a private investigator working closely with Honolulu Police Department officers Nolan Page and Yoshi Tanaka, while trying to enjoy the "easy life" at the estate of a very reclusive mystery writer named "Robin Masters" and his "butler" Jonathan Higgins (played by Texas-born veteran actor John Hillerman
John Hillerman
John Benedict Hillerman is an American actor, known for his starring role on the television show Magnum, P.I.-Early life:...
). The series was widely applauded for being the first to recognize the difficulty Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
s faced in making the readjustment to civilian life. Many episodes touched upon the impact that serving in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
had on Magnum and his friends, as well as echoes to events of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Hawaiian Heat
Hawaiian HeatHawaiian Heat
Hawaiian Heat is an American drama television series that premiered on ABC on September 14, 1984. It starred Robert Ginty and Jeff McCracken as two Chicago cops who quit their jobs in the Windy City to become detectives in Hawaii. Their boss at the Honolulu Police Department was played by veteran...
was a short-lived series (September–December 1984) that was heavily hyped by ABC during its 1984 Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
coverage. It starred Robert Ginty
Robert Ginty
Robert Ginty was an American movie actor, producer, scenarist, and director of movies and TV series episodes.-Early life:...
and Jeff McCracken
Jeff McCracken
Jeff McCracken is an American actor, director, and producer.After studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City he began his acting career on Broadway and off-Broadway, including Circle Repertory Company where he originated roles in new works by Lanford Wilson and Beth Henley, as well as...
as two Chicago cops who bag their boring jobs in the frozen Windy City to become detectives in paradise; their boss was played by veteran actor Mako Iwamatsu. Many of the episodes were directed by reclusive African-American actor/director Ivan Dixon
Ivan Dixon
Ivan Dixon was an American actor, director, and producer best known for his series role in the 1960s sitcom Hogan's Heroes, for his role in the 1967 telefilm The Final War of Olly Winter, and for directing hundreds of episodes of television series...
.
Jake and the Fatman
From September 1987 to March 1992, CBS Television (in conjunction with Dean Hargrove Productions and the former Viacom Television) aired a spin-off for a Matlock character. The show was called Jake and the FatmanJake and the Fatman
Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series...
about Los Angeles County District Attorney Jason Lochnivar McCade (played by veteran radio/TV actor William Conrad
William Conrad
William Conrad was an American actor, producer and director whose career spanned five decades in radio, film and television....
) and his Chief Investigator, Jake Styles (played by Joe Penny
Joe Penny
Joseph Edward Penny, Jr., credited as Joe Penny is an actor best known for his role as Nick Ryder on the detective series Riptide from 1984 to 1986 and for his role as Jake Styles in the CBS television series Jake and the Fatman from 1987 to 1992.-Early life:Penny was born in London, England to an...
). In the second season, CBS executives decided to film in Hawaii instead (having McCabe quit as DA for Los Angeles to become the Prosecuting Attorney in Honolulu), so the entire cast (including the show's mascot, a bulldog named Max) was sent to Honolulu. After two seasons in Hawaii, the series returned to L.A.
Hawaii
In August 2004, NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
introduced the police series Hawaii
Hawaii (TV series)
Hawaii is a United States television series produced and distributed by NBC Universal Television for the NBC television network. Originally titled Pearl City, this police drama was produced with the series Hawaii Five-O in mind, and debuted on August 31, 2004...
. The show featured an elite Honolulu Police Department detective squad charged with fighting the most notorious of Hawaii mob criminals. Starring in the show were Michael Biehn
Michael Biehn
Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films The Terminator as Kyle Reese, Aliens as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, and The Abyss as Lt. Coffey. He has also acted in such films as Tombstone, The Rock, and Planet Terror...
from The Terminator
The Terminator
The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
as Sean Harrison, Sharif Atkins
Sharif Atkins
Sharif Atkins is an American television actor. He's best known for his role as Dr. Michael Gallant on ER.- Career :He gained fame for his role as Dr. Michael Gallant, a character that debuted in the eighth season of the NBC Universal Television medical drama ER. He left ER after the 2003-2004...
from ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
as John Declan, Ivan Sergei
Ivan Sergei
Ivan Sergei is an American actor known for his work in television.-Personal life:Sergei was born Ivan Sergei Gaudio in Hawthorne, New Jersey, and is of Dutch and Italian descent. Ivan attended Hawthorne High School, where he was a member of the graduating class of 1989, and was a quarterback on...
from Crossing Jordan
Crossing Jordan
Crossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001 to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Medical Examiner's Office...
as Danny Edwards, Eric Balfour
Eric Balfour
Eric Salter Balfour is an American singer and actor of film and television. He is the lead singer of Born As Ghosts, formerly known as Fredalba...
from Six Feet Under as Christopher Gains, and newcomers Aya Sumika
Aya Sumika
Aya Sumika was born Aya Sumika Koenig on August 22, 1980 in Miami, Florida. She grew up in Seattle, Washington.She is an American actress best known for her semi-recurring role as FBI Agent Liz Warner in the television series Numb3rs.Her mother is Japanese-American and her father is of European...
as Linh Tamiya and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
is a Japanese-American actor.In addition to his extensive film work, he has appeared on television in Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Encounter at Farpoint" , Thunder in Paradise , Nash Bridges , Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding , and Heroes . He also provided the voice of Sin Tzu for the video game...
as Captain Terry Harada. Jeff Eastin
Jeff Eastin
Jeff Eastin is the creator of the USA Network original comedy-drama series, White Collar. Eastin also serves as the Executive Producer and show runner for White Collar....
was the creator and executive producer. Daniel Sackheim
Daniel Sackheim
Daniel Sackheim is an American TV and film director. He has directed several episodes of the TV show The X-Files, 3 episodes of Harsh Realm, House, and Life, the last two of which he also served on as an executive producer.-External links:...
from the defunct series The Lyon's Den
The Lyon's Den
The Lyon's Den is a 2003 television series set in Washington, D.C. The legal drama starred Rob Lowe as a lawyer called Jack Turner, newly appointed as partner of a long-established law firm that, as the plot revealed, harbored some dark secrets...
directed. The series was canceled after eight episodes, partly due to strong competition from another show produced in Hawai'i, ABC's
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.