2019-11-15 Police Commission Regular Minutes

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Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes November 15, 2019 Page 2 Commissioner Toci stated that she spoke to two offenders this week. They said it was easier to fall back into criminal activities because there was no one there to help them when they came out. AC O'Connor stated that that's true. You would think they would have someone on the outside to help them. Vice Chair Bertsch stated that for the record, the crime statistics have dropped compared to last year. This conversation started because it seemed like vehicle thefts in Area I increased. Major Basque stated that robbery is down, but auto thefts have increased in Kona. They look at the victims. A lot of them are in the same community victimizing themselves. A lot of them are in the drug community, and they victimize each other. The last 3-4 robberies in Kona was this. A guy stole car that he had sold to a guy 6 months ago. The same people are victimizing each other, but it's still statistics. Major Basque further stated that now that they have downsized their presence on Mauna Kea, and with the recruits coming on board, they are using the extra personnel and creating a Special Enforcement Unit. If they have one or two extra people, they will be assigned to the downtown Kona area. The other districts are still working at minimal capacity. Traffic Report: Major Basque reported that for the month of September, 4,921 citations were issued: 3,245 moving/regulatory, 316 seat belt, 33 child restraint, and 1,327 speeding. The Daniel K Highway has three different districts. Officers need to know the district, and stats must be recorded accordingly. Vice Chair Bertsch stated that at a previous meeting, he expressed concern about the enhanced enforcement on the Daniel K Highway and questioned where the directive was coming from. AC O'Connor stated that in his opinion, the department has not run an adequate amount of enforcement on the Daniel K Highway. The speeds on up there are ridiculous. Chair De Luz stated that the fatality count has decreased. • Personnel Report: AC O'Connor reported that four HPD employees were nominated for employee of the year for the County of Hawaii. Assistant Chief Thomas reporting having 55 sworn vacancies. The 91St recruit class with 22, will graduate in March. They are targeting February for the next recruit class, and have started background checks. Another recruit exam will be in January. Dispatch has 7 vacancies. They started a dispatch class with 6, and now