2004-01-AU Hawai‘i County Police Department Vehicles

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monies (the difference between losses paid out and premiums paid in) to participating counties. A s of the date of thi s report, no such captive i nsurance company has been formed. The M aui report suggested that transi ti on from a fl eet to subsi dy system coul d be accompl i shed i n " no more than seven years." I t presented the advantages of a subsi di zed f I eet vs. a standi ng fl eet as fol I ows: • Wi th conversi on to a subsi di zed fl eet, the M aui report anti ci pated " a reducti on i n on -duty vehi d e col I i si ons" due to greater fami I i ari ty of off cers wi th thei r cars and the prospect that they woul d " be I ess I i kel y to take unnecessary ri sks with thei r vehi d es." • This, in turn, would lessen litigation involving collisions, thereby increasing "available County wide funds" and reducing "negative media attention on the Department" due to "officer involved motor vehi d e col I i si ons." • Off i cers begi nni ng thei r shi fts woul d no I onger have a carry a " bri efcase, rai ncoat and a pl ethora of equi pment to and f rom the vehi cl a on a dai I y basi s." • A subsi di zed f I eet woul d provi de for " 200 pol i ce vehi cl es on the roadways of M aui County at any given ti me." • Off -duty officers would be able to assist in emergency situations and respond to mass mobi I i zati ons, ci vi I di sturbances, or cri ti cal i nci dents. • Citizens would "see an increased police presence within the County" and such presence woul d " act as a deterrent to cri mi nal behavi or and i mprove the communi ty bonds." • V ehi d e subsi di es woul d serve as recrui tment and retenti on i ncenti ves; " the enti cement of an additional $488 per month ... may sway the appl i cant towards the department with a subsi di zed vehi d e program." • Off i cers woul d take pri de i n ownershi p and care for thei r own vehi d es. Thi s, i n turn, woul d " greatl y i mprove the moral a of the offi cers." The M aui report adds that " i t has been cl earl y demonstrated in numerous studies that officers with high morale are less likely to violate departmental di recti ves or an i ndi vi dual' s ci vi I ri ght." • Pred ude the cost of parki ng stal I s, esti mated to be $5,000 per stal 1. 1 t was noted that the parki ng I of of the H al e M aka` i bui I di ng i s " overf I owi ng" and the " expense of a I and purchase to i ncrease the parki ng I of si ze f or M aui i s a huge cost consi derati on." G. "The Price of Visibility ", West Hawai'i Crime Stoppers, Inc., 2003 On M arch 19, 2003 A I an J. Pratt, presi dent of West H awai ` i Cri me Stoppers, I nc. , ref eased a report ti tl ed "The Price of Visibility." The report recommended that the H awai ` i County Pot i ce Department "immediately commence the necessary investigation and studies to determine actual costs, and other detai I s requi red to i mpl ement a possi bl e f I eet of marked pot i ce cars for the County of H awai ` i ." Based upon budget information from several mainland police departments — e.g., Gillette, Wyoming; Sacramento, Cal i forni a — the West H awai ` i Cri me Stoppers, I nc. study concl uded that conversi on to a county -owned police f 1 eet would generate savings of over $225,000 annually to H awai ` i County. "We consi der i t essenti al," the report stated, " the County of H awai ` i real i ze that ti mes have changed and i t i s now ti me to move i nto the 21 � century." 29