COM 0184.023 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Although we were advised not to request new positions, Hawaii Revised Statutes 353-6(b) compels us to hold pre-trial detainees until they are arraigned in court. This legislative mandate, without a funding appropriation, has placed on our Department an enormous burden to supervise, staff, process, provide meals, secure transport and render medical services to inmates. Additionally, the law requires us to separate detainees by gender, and because our Hilo cellblock is inadequate and can hold only five prisoners, it has forced us to periodically double-bunk inmates. Because of this new law, we must have an increase of positions to perform the essential requirements of the job. In conjunction with our staffing needs, we intend to seek County and State CIP funds to expand our cellblock facilities to comply with the new State law. Shortage of personnel in the azeas of support, operations and cellblocks puts us in the most precarious position our Department has experienced. It is imperative that we be allowed to expand our personnel at a time when our budget is deficient. Sworn and civilian supervisors are needed to augment present positions in our dispatch operations. The Department is averaging 185 hours of overtime a week, increased sick leave attributed to stress, and a 24 percent increase of calls, compared to the same period in 1995. This, we believe, amply justifies increasing the number of Department positions. Increased health benefits, medical coverage revisions, amended civil service procedures and the like have increased the workload of our only Personnel Assistant by more than 50 percent. Major increases in crime reporting, expanded recovery, tracking, storing and retrieving evidence and more frequent court presentations are too much for our two evidence custodians to handle adequately. 2