Bed bugs have surfaced at Waikiki hotels, care homes, theatres and hospitals and now you can add Halawa Correctional Facility to the list.
According to a corrections officer, the problem is so bad in staff controlled areas, there was even talk of closing down one of the modules at the facility.
The officer who, wanted to remain anonymous, said this is a safety and health issue. He employees have filed complaints but little has been done. "I observed one of the staff chairs being taken down to be disposed of in the industrial area -- which was infested with mites or bed bugs," he said.
The long-time corrections officer said employees alerted prison officials when the bugs first surfaced last fall. "They came in and had people spray the staff area and obviously it hadn't worked," he said. "One of the remedies was to close down one of the modules and that was one of the suggestions from a superior officer."
The spokeswoman from the Department of Public Safety says officials have received four reports of bed bugs in staff controlled areas since last September, and each time the administration immediately contacted a professional exterminating company to address the problem area.
The officer says that's not enough. "If it affected inmates the state would be looking at legal issues. A few officers from what I was told have filed for worker's comp."
The officer says employees fear they have become carriers of the bugs.
"Concerns are raised from employees that are afraid to taking them home to their families -- their homes." he said. "It's kind of like being swept under the rug and not taken seriously."
The State Department of Health says it has not received reports of bed bug problems from Halawa or any other prison.