Page 9 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - Dec 22, 2021

Capturing Bad Guys Just Part Of The Mission At NCIS Hawai‘i
FROM PAGE 4
Contrary to popular belief, NCIS has statutory authori- ty to investigate, arrest and execute warrants for civil- ians involved with crimes that have a clear nexus to the U.S. Department of the Navy.
Another common mis- conception is that NCIS agents are in the military and, although there are some active duty person- nel in the crew, a large per- centage of the unit are 1811 series special agent federal law enforcement officers, aka civilians. The 50-mem- ber office is also made up of professional staff (who do a lot of the administra- tive work behind the scenes and are ones Dominesey calls the “backbone of the operation”), intelligence officers and retired Ho- nolulu Police Department detectives, to name a few. The latter serve as senior operation specialists and are essential when NCIS works with its communi- ty partners, such as HPD, FBI, Homeland Security, the City & County of Ho- nolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, and the state Department of the Attorney General.
“We collaborate with all of our partners on investi- gations and operations to mitigate threats to the com- munity,” says Dominesey. “For example, in the last few years, our NCIS office here in Hawai‘i has worked really aggressively to target threats posed to children here on O‘ahu by child sexual pred- ators. We’ve unleashed the full spectrum of NCIS ca- pabilities and partnered with multiple agencies here on the island to mitigate some
It’s all in a day’s work for NCIS Hawai‘i Field Office special agents, who are pictured conducting M4 service rifle qualifications at Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i, Kāne‘ohe Bay. PHOTO COURTESY NCIS
of those threats. We do that under the leadership of the Hawai‘i State Attorney Gen- eral Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, and we’ ve successfully mitigat- ed many threats to children on the island through some of the proactive initiatives.
“A lot of (the collabora- tion) has to do with the cul- ture here,” he continues. “I find it very welcoming and friendly and, having spent quite a bit of time working in other parts of the world and metropolitan cities, it’s just a different atmosphere here in Hawai‘i. We are 2,000 miles from the mainland. It’s very reminiscent of what we see in overseas field offices where the relationships are a lot tighter between the or- ganizations because, at the end of the day, we all have the same mission and we all need to work together to get the job done.”
Tracking down the bad
guys isn’t the only thing on NCIS Hawai‘i Field Of- fice’s hefty list of priorities, though. Integrating itself into the local community is important, as well, which is why the team can be seen throughout the year at a va- riety of functions.
the people who live here. “This is their home and we want this office to be reflec- tive of what they want to see
Some outreach events fo- cus on awareness and edu- cation, spanning topics like internet safety, sexual assault prevention and identify theft, while other efforts are simply about lending a helping hand where one is needed. Past ex- amples include volunteering for Special Olympics Ha- wai‘i, holding a drive for Ha- wai‘i Foodbank, organizing a beach cleanup at Shark’s Cove and cheering up kūpuna who were isolated during the pandemic.
favorite part of the job is, Dominesey replies: “If you were to ask me that several years ago, I would’ ve said the mission ... And while the mission is still a favorite part of the job, for me, it’s the people that I am fortunate enough to work with every day who truly inspire me to be my best.
“We hold great admiration and respect for the culture of Hawai‘i and a lot of our ini- tiatives here in the office are built around trying to honor
So, next time you catch an episode of NCIS Hawai‘i, give a salute to the real-life special agents who make it their everyday mission to keep the community safe.
of their community.”
When asked what his
“I do feel like it’s a priv- ilege to work with those I work with in the office here and our partners, and just be- ing in the presence of those who demonstrate selfless ser- vice on a daily basis.”
Nayda Mannle took over as executive assistant director of NCIS Pacific Operations in May 2020. PHOTO COURTESY NCIS
DECEMBER 22, 2021
HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK 9