2024-10-18 Police Commission Regular Minutes

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Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes October 18, 2024 Page 5 Acting Chief Burian also noted a slight slowdown in recruitment and encouraged everyone to help spread the word about the department's career opportunities. NEW BUSINESS Correspondence No. 24-20: Letter from the Department of Human Resources Director in response to the reclassification request for the commission's secretary position. Chair Robinson shared that he recently appeared before the Merit Appeals Board regarding reclassifying the commission's secretary position. Afterward, he spoke with the Department of Human Resources director, who informed him that reclassification authority lies with the Police Chief, as the hiring power rests with the Police Department rather than the Police Commission. Despite their role in the interviews and as the secretary's supervisor, Chair Robinson learned that the appeal must come from the department. With a filing deadline on Monday, he expressed a desire to file a joint appeal with the chief, who is currently off-island. Acting Chief Burian offered to assist with the process and emphasized that the complexity of the secretary's duties, rather than just the workload, should be highlighted. He encouraged Chair Robinson to use his experience and insight to justify the reclassification. Vice Chair Bertsch noted that this is not the first attempt to reclassify the commission secretary position. Originally, the secretary handled only Police Commission duties, but during a budget crisis, the role was shared with the Fire Commission as a favor, doubling the secretary's workload. He pointed out that the Police Department funds the position, and the Fire Department benefits from it. Commissioner Bertsch was surprised by the recent letter denying their reclassification request, which stated that reallocation occurs when there's a change in the scope or level of duties. He questioned the reasoning in the letter and stated the scope expanded around 2010, especially as the secretary's role includes potential quasi-judicial responsibilities if contested case hearings are required. Acting Chief Burian suggested that Vice Chair Bertsch collaborate with Chair Robinson, as he lacks the historical details. Vice Chair Bertsch mentioned an old letter from Lincoln Ashida, who originally proposed sharing the secretary role with the Fire Commission under Harry Kim during the budget crisis. Recess was called at 10:08 a.m., the meeting reconvened at 10:26 a.m. NEW BUSINESS Board of Ethics' Informal Advisory Opinion regarding the conduct of a Police Commission member. Chair Robinson explained that the Police Commission requested this information to understand the Board of Ethics' advisory opinion. Commissioner Tavares noted that not all members were present during the incident, and they had only heard one side of the story, so they sought the report to better understand the situation and its resolution.