KPD deputy chief stopped at Lihu‘e Airport with loaded gun

LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Police Department Deputy Chief Stan Olsen was stopped at Lihu‘e Airport Friday when a loaded firearm was found in his carry-on bag.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, the department-issued firearm was discovered by a TSA officer at around 8 a.m. during a routine X-ray screening.

Upon seeing the image of the firearm, TSA reported they notified the security company Allied Universal, which responded to the situation.

The state Department of Transportation and KPD confirmed Tuesday that the man was current KPD Deputy Chief and former Nevada state Sen. Stan Olsen.

“Deputy Chief Olsen carries a backpack to work with a safekeeping pocket that holds his firearm,” KPD reported in a statement Tuesday. “Deputy Chief Olsen failed to remove his firearm prior to checking in at the Lihu‘e Airport.”

After the incident, Olsen was released to travel to the mainland for a personal matter, KPD said. The firearm was kept for safekeeping and later released to KPD. No citation was issued or arrest made.

TSA said that they will review the circumstances of the incident and levy a civil penalty.

The recommended civil penalty for a loaded firearm found at a security checkpoint begins at $3,000 and can be as high as $10,000 or more, depending on the situation.

An internal KPD investigation will determine if department policies were violated.

Olsen joined KPD in August 2021, after 35 years of law enforcement experience in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and a political career as a Nevada state senator.

Following his retirement from LVMPD in 2007, Olsen was appointed to serve as a Nevada state senator from Jan. to Dec. 2010 as a Republican.

Olsen also served two U.S. congressmen as an interim chief of staff in Washington, and district director in Nevada.

In 2016, he was appointed by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval to serve as the chair of the Nevada Taxi Authority, where he remained until he joined KPD.

As deputy chief, Olsen supports KPD Chief Todd Raybuck, another LVMPD alum, and oversees the day-to-day operations of the department.

TSA reported that Olsen’s was the first firearm of the year discovered in carry-on luggage at Lihu‘e Airport. Nationwide, TSA has discovered more than 1,500 firearms in carry-on luggage in 2022.

Firearms can be transported on a commercial aircraft only if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case, and placed in checked baggage.

During the check-in process at the airport, a passenger is required to go to the airline ticket counter to declare the firearm, ammunition and any firearm parts.

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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.