Ige appoints ‘special master’ to assess concerns at Public Safety Department

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - A new face is coming to the top of the Department of Public Safety chain.

Edmund “Fred” Hyun was appointed by Gov. David Ige on Tuesday to fill the role of new Special Master of PSD.

The UH Manoa alumnus currently serves as the head of the paroling authority.

In his new role, the state says he will do a top-to-bottom assessment of the operations of the department from its administration to its corrections and law enforcement divisions.

During this process, he will also be responsible for investigating concerns recently raise by the unions who feed into the department.

Once the assessments are completed, Hyun will be expected to make recommendations to address areas of concern.

“Managing our overcrowded, aging, chronically understaffed correctional facilities is one of the toughest jobs in the state. The COVID-19 pandemic makes the job even more difficult,” Gov. Ige said.

“Fred has an extensive and respected professional background in both adult and youth corrections and has served as chair of the Paroling Authority for the past 4 years. I’m confident he has the experience and ability to meet this very challenging task,” Ige added.

Last week the public safety department’s former and long-time director Nolan Espinda retired amid an outbreak of COVID cases within the prison system.

Deputy Director of Administration Maria Cook is temporarily filling in for Espinda.

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