2024-07-19 Police Commission Regular Minutes

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Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes July 19, 2024 Page 4 Chair Robinson inquired about continuous recruitment, specifically who refers applicants to the department. Major Evangelista explained that referrals come from the Department of Human Resources (DHR). Applications are completed online and screened by DHR to ensure that candidates meet the minimum qualifications before they are referred to the department. Commissioner Tavares referred to the salaries and wages summary and noted that overtime expenses have reached 239% of the budget, which he assumes is due to staff shortages. He suggested that it would be helpful to see a five-year trend in future meetings, showing overtime as a percentage of the overall budget compared to regular salaries and wages. This would provide insight into how overtime costs are trending over time as the department works to recruit more officers and address staffing gaps. • Commendations &Awards: Deputy Chief Mahuna reported Officer Charles Cladwell- Kaai was named the Kona Crime Prevention Committee's Officer of the Month for July 2024. Officer Sheldon Adviento received the Aloha Exchange Club Officer of the Month award for April 2024, Officer Edward Petrie was honored for May 2024, and Sybastian Keltner for June 2024. Additionally, he reported that five commendations have been awarded to personnel since the last commission meeting in recognition of their outstanding service. • Deputy Chief Mahuna reported on other department activities and updates: Community Policing Projects: In July, officers visited EB Desilva, Hilo, and Waiakea Schools daily to conduct fishing practice and teach ocean safety. Participants will compete in the Blue Light Fishing Tournament on July 26th. At the end of June and beginning of July, Community Policing supported Vibrant Hawaii by providing classes for their Youth Academy Summer Program. Additionally, at the Hi-Pal event at Lanakila Housing, officers engaged with approximately 30 children in sports activities such as football, kickball, and flag football. Underage Drinking Enforcement: In July, officers in the juvenile section conducted underage drinking enforcement operations on weekends. Recognition Ceremony: Deputy Chief Mahuna announced upcoming changes to their recognition ceremony due to recruits quitting during the FTO process. They found that recruits and their families may not be receiving adequate support during the transition from classroom to field training. To address this, they will organize a family night and badge-pinning ceremony at the station, inviting chaplains, peer support officers, and FTOs to discuss the FTO process with recruits and their families. They will also assist families in downloading the department's wellness app and connecting with wellness resources. The public graduation luncheon for recruits will now be held at the end of their FTO to celebrate the completion of their entire training.