Kauai Deputy Police Chief Faces Fine After Carrying Gun Through Airport Security
It was the first firearm discovered in carry-on luggage at Lihue Airport this year, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Kauai Deputy Police Chief Stan Olsen is expected to pay a civil penalty after he was stopped at Lihue Airport on Friday for packing a firearm in his carry-on luggage.
Olsen was heading to Las Vegas that morning when a Transportation Security Administration officer discovered his department-issued firearm in his backpack during a routine X-ray screening.
Olsen typically reports to work with a backpack that has a pocket to hold his firearm, and he failed to remove the firearm prior to going through airport security, according to a Kauai County press release Tuesday.
It was the first firearm discovered in carry-on luggage at Lihue Airport this year, according to TSA.
Olsen was allowed to travel to the mainland for a personal matter. His firearm was released to KPD. No citation or arrest was made, according to the statement from KPD.
TSA says it will against Olsen. The recommended civil penalty for a firearm starts at $2,050 and can go up to the statutory maximum of more than $10,000 per violation depending on the circumstances of the incident, according to TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers.
An internal KPD investigation will determine whether Olsen violated department policies.
Police Chief Todd Raybuck appointed Olsen to the deputy chief post in August. The position, which involves supporting the chief and overseeing the department’s day-to-day operations, had previously been vacant following the retirement of the former deputy chief in 2019.
Both men had a policing career at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department before relocating to Kauai to assume leadership posts at KPD.
Raybuck moved to Kauai from Las Vegas to become the Garden Isle鈥檚 police chief in April 2019 when the department was reeling from a flurry of allegations of .
Installing an outsider at KPD鈥檚 helm was seen by some as a possible end to what had become the status quo: a police force embattled by controversy, disunity and low morale.
Appointed deputy chief by Raybuck eight months ago, Olsen brought to KPD more than 35 years of law enforcement experience in Las Vegas.
He worked on the Special Weapons and Tactics team. He investigated street narcotics, burglary and internal criminal and discrimination complaints. And he served as the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff before local, state and federal legislative bodies and commissions.
After his 2007 retirement, Olsen was appointed to seat vacated by Republican Warren Hardy.
He later served two U.S. Congressmen as an interim chief of staff in Washington, D.C. and as district director in Nevada.
He resigned an appointment as chairman of the Nevada Taxi Authority to accept his appointment to join the Kauai police force.
In addition to civil penalties, Olsen will have any Trusted Traveler status or TSA PreCheck expedited screening benefits revoked, according to Dankers. The duration of the disqualification depends on the seriousness of the offense and whether the traveler has a history of violations.
Firearms can be transported on a commercial aircraft only if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and stowed in checked baggage. Ammunition is also prohibited in carry-on baggage and must be packed in checked luggage.
