2005-11-18 Police Commission Minutes

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Hawaii County Police Commission Regular Session Minutes November 18, 2005 Page 3 • Traffic: Major Dawrs summarized the written report. DUI arrests are down compared to last year. He believes this is due to manpower shortage. Commissioner Morimoto stated that he believes the speed boards have helped stop speeding in his area. Major Dawrs stated that the speed boards are rotated once a month to different areas around the island. A lot of the people are commuters, and if they don't see officers on the road, they get heavy footed. Commissioner Kaoiwi expressed concern over ATVs on the roads. Kids in his neighborhood are using Panaewa Railroad Avenue as a racetrack. People in his community appreciate officers making their rounds in the area. Captain Dawrs reported having three fatalities involving ATVs in the past month. Finance: Accountant Kay Nishibayashi entertained questions to the written report. She stated that they have a status quo budget for utilities, and costs have risen. They will be short this year and next year unless they request additional funds to cover the shortage. Commissioner Kaoiwi stated that he read an article in the Hawaii Island Journal requesting an audit of the police department. He believes it's not needed, and the department is doing a good job. • Commendations: Chief Mahuna reported receiving 12 commendations involving 48 employees since the last meeting. • Commander's Meeting Minutes of October 27, 2005: No discussion. • Other Departmental Activities: Chief Mahuna expressed concern over the use of ATVs, especially children who race down roads at 70 mph. Parents are partly to blame for seeing ATVs as toys. Regarding speeders, they are taking a proactive approach, and fatalities are down. Regarding personnel, Kona does have a problem, but he is optimistic that the police department will be fully staffed in the future. Almost all dispatch positions have been filled. Applicants from out of state have made background checks more difficult, but they don't want to compromise the recruitment process just because someone lives far away. Captain Tavares and his staff are very astute in doing background checks. Chief Mahuna thanked Corporation Counsel for help with the new pursuit policy that is now part of the General Orders. Chief Mahuna stated that the staffing problem in Kona is partly due to most applicants coming from East Hawaii. The main reason officers don't want to be in Kona is because they can't afford to live there. With the high price of housing in West Hawaii, it is difficult for officers to afford a home there, even with a working spouse. A police