By Jeff King

 If it seems like the new Kihei Police station has sprung up quickly, you’re right. Ground broke on the afternoon of December 5, 2011. Less than two years later, on the morning of December 5, 2013, a blessing and dedication will deliver the keys to Maui Police Chief Gary Yabuta and Kihei Patrol commander Capt. Tivoli Fa’aumu.

NEW STATION – The new Kihei MPD station will open December 5. Click to enlarge. (MPD Photo by Tony Earles)

The sprawling complex, located at the Pi’ilani Highway intersection with Kanani Street, will accommodate Kihei Patrol District Officers, Recruit Training Academy and other components of the Maui Police Department.

Following the ceremony, the Kihei Police station will begin accepting “customers.” The Kihei Police substation has been crammed – for years – into a strip mall in the Kihei Foodland Shopping Center between Rainbow Attic and a former Italian restaurant.