DLE briefs finance committee on SaferWatch school alert rollout, Silver Alert MOUs and special‑duty vendor model

Department of Law Enforcement officials told the House Finance Committee they have procured an alert system, SaferWatch, intended for statewide school‑safety notifications and want to deploy it across public schools, and that the department is working on agreements and staffing for a statewide Silver Alert program.

SaferWatch and cost: The department said it procured SaferWatch, an alert system that includes stationary and LTE panic buttons, 24/7 monitoring and notifications routed to sheriffs, HPD and school principals. The department provided a per‑school cost for a base software/service package of $3,500 for the first year and $2,500 annually thereafter; hardware varies by school. “The base cost per school for the actual software is 3,500 a year. And then depending on the hardware required per school, there's different costs,” a departmental representative said.

Implementation and integration: The department said SaferWatch will be deployed initially in the Capitol complex and then in DOE schools statewide, with potential integration to fire alarms and school cameras to improve tactical awareness for responding officers. The department said it has funding to cover DOE subscriptions for five years from a previous technology budget and will use additional school‑safety funds to build a situational‑awareness platform, a tip line and camera integration.

Silver Alert coordination: On the Silver Alert program for missing older adults, the department said memoranda of agreement (MOAs) are under development with county police departments and that the department expects to hire a Silver Alert coordinator soon. The department said it is discussing with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA) whether HIEMA will issue statewide alerts or provide access for the DLE coordinator to push alerts.

Special duty and vendor‑managed scheduling: The department described a vendor‑managed, web‑based special duty officer scheduling system: private events would request officers online; interested officers register via an app and are paid by the vendor, not the state. The department said its system would not generate revenue for the state because the vendor charges event organizers directly.

Ending: Committee members asked about costs, MOA counterparts and launch timelines; the department said it will provide price lists, MOAs and staffing timelines to the committee and expects Silver Alert activation “before the end of this fiscal year.”