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Hawaii Police Commission <br /> Special Meeting Minutes <br /> December 12, 2022 <br /> Page 15 <br /> leaders properly trained? Are the dispatchers properly trained? This goes back <br /> to again, improving the work environment, which leads to improving quality of <br /> life. Those things in itself feed into what he believes are the best recruiters of <br /> them all, the dispatchers themselves. We need them, we need to make them <br /> happy and we need to make them support our efforts. <br /> ➢ Paul Applegate stated he wants to work on getting the dispatcher's first <br /> responder status because with that comes the training and the pay that they <br /> deserve. He earlier spoke about having the dispatchers go out with recruiters <br /> to speak one on one with anyone interested in this profession and they could <br /> get first hand experience and ask questions, questions that others won't be <br /> able to answer because they don't do the job. As far as retention, he would <br /> want to look at improving their work conditions. Make sure they have proper <br /> and current training because it's a complex job and over time it gets more <br /> complex with more duties put upon them. Things like ergonomic chairs, <br /> lighting, new computers, and uniforms. Recognition, not only during <br /> telecommunications week but throughout the year for the heroic acts that they <br /> do. Part of his thinking, with the whole department is wellness and resiliency <br /> for all employees and dispatchers are no exception. He used to be a peer <br /> support counselor and they used to have defusing and debriefing sessions <br /> and included the dispatch staff, along with the officers involved in any critical <br /> incidents. Another thing he did at his current job was to encourage wellness <br /> checks with the EAP and encouraged employees to periodically check in with <br /> the counselors to talk about the stressors of the job. He would also implement <br /> 89-day contracts. If a dispatcher really needs to retire, they'll try to entice them <br /> back with the contract to buy a little time to recruit and train more dispatchers. <br /> • Vice Chair Brown stated safety has been described by some in politics as an issue <br /> that does not gain much support. Since when we are safe there is little publicity. <br /> With that in mind, how do you plan to start enforcing traffic laws that have been <br /> disregarded by many in patrol and as a result, those perpetrators feel entitled to <br /> continue as is? Are you familiar with the Broken Window Syndrome? (e.g. lifted <br /> vehicles, excessively wide tires, blacked-out windows, no mufflers, no license or <br /> covered plates) <br /> ➢ Edward Ignacio stated enforcement may have slipped, if that's what you're <br /> referring to, due to a lack of resources. Patrol is really busy unless they're <br /> going after seatbelts or something that's set up, they're responding constantly <br /> and if they're coming across these violations, I'm pretty sure they'll enforce it. <br /> They should do PSAs. Start a campaign and as they improve upon resources <br /> and make it a point to enforce these laws. He thinks the public would <br /> appreciate a heads-up. Even when speed limits are changed, people want a <br /> heads-up. If we start a campaign utilizing social media platforms, put it out <br /> there, communicate this to the community, everyone wants to do the right <br />