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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0023.001 2010-2012'William P. Kenoi Mayor December 30, 2010 County of Hawaii POLICE DEPARTMENT 349 Kapi'olani Street • Hilo, Hawaii 96720 -3998 (808) 935 -3311 Fax(808)961-2389 Mr. Angel Pilago Committee Chair and Members Human Services, Social Services and Public Safety Committee Hawaii County Council 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Dear Chair Pilago and Members, Harry S. Kubojiri Police Chief Paul K. Ferreira Deputy Police Chief On behalf of the members of the Hawaii Police Department, first let me extend our congratulations to all of you on your recent appointments to Hawaii County Council. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with an overview of the services provided by police department as well as an update of current projects that we are involved with that may impact the various council districts. Our department is comprised of eight (8) police districts, which differs from the political district boundaries of the County Council. For operational purposes, these districts are divided into two distinct areas of operations, identified as Area I Operations and Area II Operations. The Area I Operations encompasses the districts of Hamakua, North Hilo, South Hilo, and Puna. The Area II Operations encompasses the districts of South Kohala, North Kohala, Kona, and Kau. The organizational structure under the Office of the Police Chief that oversees the management of the department is comprised of three Bureaus. • The Administrative Bureau, under the direction of an Assistant Police Chief, provides administrative support and technical assistance for the entire department through two divisions under the command of Police Majors. The Administrative Services Division under the direction of a Police Major provides island -wide administration, direction and planning control and coordination of police services; and supports operating units. The division's support units include the Human Resources Section (Training, Community Relations/Research & Development, Worker's Compensation Safety Unit and Police Chaplains), Media Relations Officer, the Word Processing Center, Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Fiscal Section, and the Special Response Team (SRT). The Technical Services Division under the direction of a Police Major consists of the Traffic Services, Records and Identification, Communications - Maintenance, Communications - Dispatch and the Computer Sections. The division "Hawai'i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer" Comm. N o. c2 I Ref. To: P� PS G Ref. Date JAN 4 20 _ Mr. Angel Pilago Committee Chair and Members Human Services, Social Services and Public Safety Committee December 30, 2010 Page 2 provides technical assistance on traffic and motor vehicle safety and training; manages the police records and evidence storage; maintains the County's microwave radio system and the installation and maintenance of police mobile radios; administers central dispatch functions and provides technical support to the Department's computer software and hardware systems. • The Area I Operations Bureau, consisting of the Area I Criminal Investigations Division and all Uniform Patrol Divisions between Hamakua and Puna, is under the direction of the Assistant Police Chief and the Police Major that oversee the operations. • The Area II Operations Bureau, which for the most part mirrors that of Area I, consists of the Area II Criminal Investigations Division and all Uniform Patrol Divisions between South Kohala and Kau, is under the direction of the Assistant Police Chief and the Police Major that oversee the operations. Included in this area of responsibility is the operations of support personnel assigned to the Kealakehe Police Station that are involved in providing copies of police records, processing judicial papers, and firearms registrations. • The Criminal Investigation Divisions, under the command of a Police Captain, are responsible for investigating all serious crimes of violence, theft, fraud, commercialized vice and narcotics; apprehends perpetrators of these crimes; and compiles evidence and information for the prosecution of all persons charged with violations of criminal statutes. These divisions include the Criminal Investigations Sections (CIS), Juvenile Aid Sections (JAS), Vice Sections, and in Area I, the Crime Lab. The division is also responsible for criminal investigations of police officers, while Internal Affairs conducts concurrent administrative investigations. • The Uniform Patrol Divisions, each under the command of a Police Captain, plan, proactively direct and coordinate functions toward the enforcement of federal, state, and county laws, the prevention of crime, the apprehension and custody of law violators and the development of partnerships between the community and the Hawaii County Police Department. These divisions include the operating units from each of the police districts, Community Policing, Police Reserve Officers Program and the Traffic Enforcement Unit. Through federal and state grant funding the Patrol Divisions continue enforcement efforts through special projects such as sobriety checkpoints, seatbelt /child restraint checkpoints, high -speed enforcement, underage drinking deterrent programs and truancy deterrent programs. The department has a staff of (432) authorized sworn police officer positions and (142) authorized non -sworn civilian positions. As of the beginning of this calendar year, our sworn staffing is at 95% with (23) vacant sworn positions and our non -sworn staffing is at 94% with (9) Mr. Angel Pilago Committee Chair and Members Human Services, Social Services and Public Safety Committee December 30, 2010 Page 3 vacant non -sworn positions. We are in the process of filling all of our current sworn vacancies, with the tentative start of the 79th Police Recruit Class on February 1st, and with the exception of those non -sworn positions that have been unfunded, we are actively recruiting for the other positions, primarily the Police Radio Dispatchers that are vacant. In addition, the department staffing also consists of forty (40) part-time School Crossing Guards, some of which are very difficult to fill due to the minimal number of hours of work involved and the location of the schools. Concerning our sworn staffing situation, the challenges the Police Department faces in filling police officer positions is unique and unlike other County departments (with the only exception being the Fire Department), because of the length of time involved in the recruitment, selection, and training process. For example, the process to fill a vacant sworn entry-level police officer position from the time the Recruitment announcement is posted until the police officer is assigned to solo - patrol in the field encompasses conservatively approximately twenty -one (21) months. This lengthy process includes the (9 1/2) months of extensive training that these officers undergo, prior to being assigned to a solo - patrol position. In the event, our department is not allowed to continue to actively recruit and conduct Police Recruit classes for anticipated vacancies we will revert to once again being faced with the large deficit in sworn personnel, which in the past translated into excessive overtime costs and employee burn -out. The other positions in our department that we have difficulties in recruitment and retention are our Police Radio Dispatcher positions, primarily due to the nature of the job. This problem is not unique to our department, but a concern shared by first responder agencies throughout the State as well as the nation. The department's efforts in addressing the supply and demand for crystal methamphetamine or "ice" in the County of Hawaii that is a recognized threat to the safety and welfare of the general public, remains a high priority. The Police Department has established two Ice task force units, one in East Hawaii and one in West Hawaii, along with two dedicated telephone lines ( "Ice" Hotline) for use by the public for reporting of crystal methamphetamine possession and/or distribution. These positions were initially funded through a grant the department received from the Hawaii Community Foundation during prior fiscal years and through additional funding allowed for the creation of an "Airport Drug Interdiction" unit that is be responsible for interdicting "ice" as well as other hard drugs that are being smuggled through the Airports from source cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Las Vegas. This unit is also assisting in investigating arriving flights from source countries such as Japan, Philippines, Canada, and Mexico, as well as monitoring private aircrafts arriving from different areas. In addition to the arrival and departure of flights, this smuggling unit is monitoring the various parcel services and freight companies located at the airport and other locations in the West Hawaii area. The primary goals of these units are to identify, dismantle, disrupt, arrest, and prosecute street, mid and upper level drug trafficking organizations and organized crime groups Mr. Angel Pilago Committee Chair and Members Human Services, Social Services and Public Safety Committee December 30, 2010 Page 4 involved in methamphetamine distribution, methamphetamine manufacturing, and money laundering. One of the programs that has evolved in the department is the concept of community policing that has been recognized in the Hawai'i Police Department as a necessity rather than an option; additionally, it is being transformed from a specialized function to a department -wide philosophy. Our department's approach to effective policing has been the implementation of various community- oriented programs in a crime prevention framework that involve all aspects of our patrol staffing. As a result, the community continues to embrace the community policing philosophy and strategy that has been implemented in Hawaii County. Through the years, we have created a program dedicated to meeting the demands of our varied communities primarily through the implementation of community policing projects, with officers that have been trained in problem - solving and community- oriented policing. Programs that have already realized success in our communities include neighborhood watch programs, home/business security surveys, teenagers and anti -drug activities, senior citizen outreach programs, projects that raised community awareness for domestic violence, child/vehicle safety and drug abuse, just to identify a few. In March 2010, in continuing on our quest to achieve accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies ( CALEA), we have temporarily reassigned two (2) Police Sergeants to assist with the accreditation process. As a result, our current team exclusively assigned to facilitate the CALEA accreditation process is comprised of a Police Lieutenant, two (2) Police Sergeants and a Clerk III. These individuals are currently in the process of completing the revisions and development of new policies and procedures to be in conformance with standards established by CALEA. The accreditation process serves as an "audit" to determine whether or not the Police Department's operational policies (written and unwritten) comply with national standards to which County Officials, Police Chiefs, supervisors, and patrol officers are held accountable by the courts and the public in the everyday conduct of their business. Accreditation through CALEA will provide for controlled liability insurance costs, greater accountability within the department, and stronger defense against lawsuits and citizen complaints because of the department having in place policies and procedures in conformance with national standards. As part of the accreditation process, the department followed the suggested step process of accreditation provided by CALEA during a CALEA Conference attended by department members. The first step is to review present policies and practices and ensure they comply with the 464 CALEA Standards. This step of the process has been completed as of May 2010 by the review and revisions of 105 General Orders and the review of numerous policies and procedures throughout the department. Presently, the department is on the second step of the process, which Mr. Angel Pilago Committee Chair and Members Human Services, Social Services and Public Safety Committee December 30, 2010 Page 5 is to create policies and procedures that cover the remaining CALEA Standards not addressed by the department's present policies. To significantly assist in the accreditation process, the department contracted Wisdom Source, a technology company with an excellent record in Hawaii, to create the intranet portal that contains all of the department's policies and procedures and provides the means to ensure all personnel receive and acknowledge the department's policies and procedures, which is a requirement of CALEA. In August 2010, the department's Accreditation Team applied for and received a grant through the State of Hawaii Department of the Attorney General Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Division, to provide $147,457 for a training module within the intranet portal developed by Wisdom Source. This training module, entitled "Na'auao — Where Knowledge is Learned" will provide the capability of providing training to officers in required subjects (e.g., legal mandates, changes to current laws, policies, etc.) as well as providing a means of testing or retesting if required, storing training information, and tracking the training received by officers. The Department is continuing with the Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) project that provides officers with laptop computers in their vehicles, that would allow them to access not only our Records Management System (RMS), but query other relevant databases such as NCIC, NLETS, Driver's license checks, and Motor vehicle registrations. This direct access alleviates the need for officers to return to their assigned stations to retrieve the desired data. The pilot project was successful in demonstrating that the system was capable of functioning and would result in officers spending more time in the field. Additionally, the implementation of this project will not only enhance the efficiency of our operations, it will also reduce the amount of multi- tasking that our dispatchers are presently going through. "Over the air" information dealing with members of Drug Trafficking Organizations and Organized Crime will not be available to the criminal element in our community using simple analog scanning devices. The Department acquired twenty -four (24) laptops to conduct the pilot project in 2007, and having proved successful, included in the department's subsequent fiscal year budgets, funding for additional units to acquire in increments three - hundred twenty (320) units for deployment. The County of Hawai'i contracted with the Architectural firm of Fleming and Associates for the design of the South Kona Police Station. This facility, presently under design, is expected to meet the future needs of the South Kona Community and result with improved police services. Situated in Captain Cook, Hawaii on more than 5 acres directly above the existing Captain Cook Police Sub - station, accessed through Mamalahoa Highway, this 21,592 square foot, two story building will feature: Mr. Angel Pilago Committee Chair and Members Human Services, Social Services and Public Safety Committee December 30, 2010 Page 6 • A 10 lane indoor Firing Range • One Training Room equipped for 24 students • A 24 hour service Receiving Desk • ADA and CALEA compliant holding cells. • ADA compliant public meeting room The Department of Public Works expects the project to go out to bid in 2011; although no funds have been appropriated to build this facility, funding would be sought after actual building costs are determined through the bidding process. This building has been entered as a future Capital Improvement Project for the County of Hawai'i and Hawai'i Police Department. With regards to the Pahoa Police Station facility, we anticipate that the facility will be turned over to the County sometime this month, January 2011, and we will begin occupying the building in February 2011. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office at 961 -2244. Sincerely, HARRY S. KUBOJIRI POLICE CHIEF PAUL K. FERREIRA DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF