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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-03-21 Standardization Committee MinutesMINUTES COUNTY OF HAWAII STANDARDIZATION COMMITTEE Thursday, March 21, 2019 County Building Finance Conference Room 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2103 Hilo, Hawaii CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Deanna Sako at 10:01 a.m. ATTENDANCE There was a quorum with the following committee members and staff in attendance: Deanna Sako, Director of Finance Joseph Kamelamela, Corporation Counsel Allan Simeon, Deputy Director of Dept. of Public Works Lee Lord, Business Manager of Office of the Prosecuting Attorney Nori Ishii, Accountant IV of Parks & Recreation Also present: Steven Hunt, Deputy Director of Finance Sebastian Calaway, Purchasing Agent — Finance Department Crystallene Pacheco, Private Secretary — Finance Department Alan Koahou, Investigator VI of Office of the Prosecuting Attorney Nancy Cook -Lauer, West Hawai'i Today Absent: Reid Sewake and David Yamamoto INTRODUCTION Those present at the meeting were introduced by Ms. Sako. MINUTES OF DECEMBER 27, 2018 MEETING Mr. Kamelamela moved to approve the minutes of the December 7, 2018 meeting. Mr. Lord seconded. Motion carried. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC (AGENDA ITEMS ONLY) There were no statements from the public. NEW BUSINESS Agenda Item 1: Standardize the purchase of GLOCK Firearms and accessories. Mr. Kamelamela made a motion to approve the item and it was seconded by Ms. Ishii. Mr. Koahou - The OPA investigators are currently using an older model .40 caliber handgun. The FBI recently concluded some studies within the last couple years to switch out the .40 caliber handgun to the 9mm pistol because it was better and they were approved to do the switch over. Mr. Koahou - the Police department also switched over to the 9mm handguns (2016). Police agencies tend to go off the recommendations of the FBI because their testing's are extensive. Mr. Koahou — there are a few reasons to switch to the 9mm handgun. The ammunition is less expensive and because it's a smaller, the shooter can shoot faster and more accurate. Has better ergonomics than the .40 caliber pistol which was designed for right handed shooters. New design on the 9mm handgun will better accommodate both left and right handed shooters. Mr. Koahou - OPA investigators are utilizing two different size .40 handguns. Not good for training purposes, twice as much training, and cost more. OPA would like to standardize down to just one weapon the investigators can be confident with. Mr. Kamelamela - when did the Police department did their standardization for the Glock 9mm? Ms. Pacheco - June 2016. Mr. Kamelamela.- the ergonomics of the 9mm handgun use for left and right handed shooters, explain a little more? Mr. Koahou - the firearms we have are 10 to 15 years behind the current generation of Glock handguns and it was designed for a right handed shooter, the grip was designed for a right handed shooter, and the magazine release is located on the right side (when reloading, you have to use your right thumb). This is problematic for left handed shooters. The 9mm handgun accommodates left and right hand shooters and the magazine release is on both sides. Mr. Kamelamela - explain more about the OPA's Glock certified armorers who perform the maintenance and repair of the Glock pistols. Mr. Koahou - the certified armorers are only trained to work on Glock handguns and if the OPA switched to handguns other than a Glock they would have to retrain and the agency would also have to purchase new equipment and tools. Mechanically, the 9mm handguns are similar to the ones the investigators are using so the armorers can continue to work on them. Ms. Sako - since Police have the same guns, would their armorers be able to utilize OPA's as well? Mr. Koahou - ideally they don't switch up armorers but they could. Ms. Sako — was thinking maybe if they had a changeover in staff and had someone new training. Mr. Koahou - what he really liked about the new handguns was that they are was similar enough to the ones they carry so there will be no transitional problems in training. Usually when an agency take on new firearms there's a huge transition period where you are trying to get the shooter to become comfortable and confident with the new firearm. Mr. Koahou - with the exception of the switch between right and left handed; being ergonomically design, there will be no transitional or training issues. It's advantageous and can OPA can concentrate their trainings on just one pistol as oppose to two pistols. Mr. Hunt - how many in the department carry firearms? Mr. Kuahou — ten. Mr. Calaway — will OPA be looking into standardizing holsters? Mr. Koahou - the holsters they currently carry will accommodate the new firearms. Mr. Hunt — Will the caliber ammunition be accommodated with the existing holster? Mr. Kuahou - yes. Ms. Sako — Any other questions? No other questions. The Committee voted and motion was carried. ANNOUNCEMENTS None. ADJOURNMENT There was no further business. Mr. Kamelamela made a motion to adjourn the meeting and it was seconded by Mr. Lord. The meeting adjourned at 10:08 a.m. Respectfully submitted, C stallene Pacheco