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minutes 10-27-99Page 31 of 48
<br />HERKES: Yes, I have a question for each of you. I’m investigating, and thinking about, a Department of
<br />Public Safety, from a client’s standpoint, and I always go at this from my standpoint. It makes sense to
<br />me to have the Police, Fire, Civil Defense, Emergency, all under one department because then, they take
<br />care of me and all of my safety issues. That might be a huge department, and it might not. There might
<br />be some savings in having all of them under one head. How do you feel about that, each of you, from
<br />your standpoint, now that you’ve had a few weeks to think about it?
<br />RAY: Excuse me. I’m not following you. A Commission?
<br />HERKES: A Department of Public Safety.
<br />RAY: A Department of Public Safety, so you have the Police in the same department as the Fire
<br />Department?
<br />HERKES: Yes, separate sections, just like Public Works and Permitting.
<br />WURDEMAN: That is the case some places.
<br />RAY: Oh, okay. Go ahead. Sorry.
<br />CORREA: My understanding of Departments of Public Safety. They are in smaller counties with
<br />smaller agencies, and they find it profitable, economical to do that sort of thing. I think, for Hawaii
<br />County, just looking at the size of the Police Department alone, which is almost like 599 employees, or
<br />580 employees, and just thinking about the overall complex organization of our Police Department, and
<br />dealing with the different Unions and everything, I think it would be a big task, and I think it can be
<br />done but I think it’s got to be carefully looked at and well planned and organized, before you even
<br />entertain such a task. One of the major things, I think, you have to look at is how you’d keep each
<br />working unit separate, as far as their job description, and so forth, so there’s a lot of work that has to be
<br />done with Unions so that you can be able to work out all the contractual obligations between, let’s say,
<br />even Fire and Police. But, for us, we’ve got a pretty good sized area and county.
<br />HERKES: Well, then that’s one, yes -
<br />CORREA: Geographically, 4000 square miles.
<br />HERKES: Geographically, it is, but we only have 150,000 people. That is not a lot of people.
<br />CORREA: Yes. I just want to mention, keep in mind, for a department our size, we’re not a small
<br />department as compared to the United States. Most of the departments in the United States are fairly
<br />small. If you look at City and County of Honolulu, Honolulu PD ranks in the top 20, as far as size, in the
<br />United States. I think they’re 16th in sworn personnel, and 20th overall, as far as size is concerned. So
<br />they’re in the -
<br />HERKES: It doesn’t mean it’s right, but they may be.
<br />CORREA: Yes.
<br />HERKES: We may be looking at some restructuring here.
<br />CORREA: Okay.
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