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HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT <br /> BUDGET MESSAGE 1997-98 <br /> The County of Hawaii continues to experience austere and lean budget constraints. Although <br /> population, traffic and calls for services continue to increase, the Police Department has not <br /> escaped major cutbacks in its operating expenses. Only recently have we been allowed to fill <br /> vacancies. This personnel shortage compounds our difficulties to meet the quality of services <br /> expected by the public. While public services and traffic problems have increased each year, the <br /> size of the Police Department has not increased proportionately for several years. <br /> We are continually streamlining our duties, functions and responsibilities in order to operate more <br /> efficiently and economically and to cope with existing shortages of personnel and equipment. <br /> Restructuring at the command level, redistributing workloads and eliminating redundant functions <br /> are but a few of the steps we have taken to cope with budget constraints. We have serious <br /> backlogs and a high rate of overtime pay for an overworked staff. Over the past four years, our <br /> needs have become so critical that many priorities in this Department have been deferred. <br /> <br /> Funding for crime prevention programs such as D.A.R.E., HI-PAL, P.A.G.E. and Juvenile Gang <br /> Awareness have not been increased. <br /> 1 <br /> <br />