2006-08-03 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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He said they have no control over injuries and sick leave. He realizes that money is a short-term incentive, but they really need officers not to call in sick. If they could receive compensation for going one year without calling in sick, the Department would save in overtime, and it would encourage the officers to come to work. Because there is so much overtime, sometimes officers call in sick because they are so burnt out. There are also safety issues for officers working 12- to 16 -hour shifts. The Department feels some sort of incentive may have an effect until they can get up to full strength. Mr. Joseph asked what the base pay is for entry -level police officers and how it rates with other departments. Deputy Chief Kubojiri said he was not sure, but he believes it is in the area of $34,000 to $35,000. He explained that there is one collective bargaining unit, so the pay rate is the same throughout the state. He said that Oahu is also suffering the loss of officers who leave the island to work for mainland police departments. The compensation there is much higher and the work conditions better. Mr. Joseph asked what an equitable entry -level compensation would be. Deputy Chief Kubojiri said dollars is not the only issue. Though mainland jurisdictions have higher salaries, the fringe benefits in Hawaii are a little better through the collective bargaining process. However, most officers just look at the dollars and cents they will be paid. Also, the cost of living here is much higher, so that the dollar is even smaller. The officers weigh this in and for the most part, many of them leave because of the money aspect. They do have some officers who have left and then returned to Hawaii after a few years. In addition, a lot of mainland agencies actively recruit from our state. They want experienced officers rather than recruits, and they compensate those officers at an even higher pay scale because of their experience. It is a tough battle for our state's police departments. Mr. Sakaguchi said that giving officers bonuses for not calling in sick is wrong. It amounts to them not calling in sick so they can qualify for extra pay. If they aren't sick, they shouldn't be calling in sick. He likened the overtime to the prison system's recent abuse of the overtime system. The Department is assuming that some of the officers are faking sickness, and this would be telling them not to fake it and they'll get a bonus. It sends the wrong message. He said if officers are not sick but are calling in sick, the Department should go after them, because they're playing games. He said having this bonus would affect the public's confidence and the credibility of the Department and would result in more harm than cost savings. The Department needs to find another way to fill all the vacancies. He said other departments have a much greater vacancy rate. He said he gets feedback from citizens who go to the police station and see a lot of uniformed, ranking officers doing office work. If the Department is short on officers, they should get these officers back in the field and hire civilians to do the paperwork. He asked if there was a reason why the Department needs so many uniformed, out -of -shape officers working the desks at the station. 3