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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-10-21 Police Commission Regular MinutesHAWAII POLICE COMMISSION REGULAR SESSION MINUTES OCTOBER 21, 2016 WEST HAWAII CIVIC CENTER, BUILDING G CONFERENCE ROOM 74-5044 ANE KEOHOKALOLE HIGHWAY, KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII CALL TO ORDER Chair Schutte called the meeting to order at 9:07 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Guy Schutte, Chair Arthur Buckman, Commissioner Carl Carlson, Commissioner Peter Hendricks, Commissioner Jak Hu, Commissioner Paul Paiva, Commissioner Absent: Keith Morioka, Commissioner Wayne De Luz, Commissioner Robert Gomes, Sr., Commissioner Also Present: Marshall Kanehailua, Assistant Chief Paul Kealoha, Assistant Chief Henry Tavares, Assistant Chief Malia Ho, Deputy Corporation Counsel Josie, Pelayo, Secretary APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Hendricks motioned to approve the agenda. Commissioner Buckman seconded, and it carried unanimously. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS (None.) APPROVAL OF MINUTES • September 16, 2016, regular session and executive sessions: Commissioner Hendricks motioned to approve the minutes. Commissioner Hu seconded, and it carried unanimously. POLICE CHIEF'S REPORT ON DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITIES Including, but not limited to: • Personnel Report: Assistant Chief Kanehailua reported that they have 35 sworn vacancies, although 15 positions are occupied by recruits. They have 21 civilian vacancies, 13 of which are school crossing guards. It's very difficult to retain the guards because they only work two hours a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They have 8 radio dispatcher vacancies on continuous recruitment. It's a high stress job with a lot of multi -tasking. They do a realistic job interview, and this is where they lose a lot of applicants. Commissioner Hu suggested turning over the school crossing guards to the schools. Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes October 21, 2016 Page 2 Finance Report: AC Kanehailua reported that their overtime in salaries and wages has risen, but their overtime budget was cut. They will submit their budget next week. It will be status quo and 5% cut. Outside of collective bargaining agreements, their budget has been status quo for the past 8 years. Despite the cuts, they still have to provide the services. Retraining is a CALEA mandate, and it's hard with the decreased budget. They will get $3.8 million from the 911 System for the records management upgrade which will be top of the line. They are trying to get more funding to replace their Smith & Wesson 5906 with the Glock 17. They received a bulk quote to replace all firearms, but their reduced budget only allows for about 30-40 firearms. Now, they have to pay full price because they cannot purchase the whole bulk order. They want to do the replacements in this fiscal year but no more than two years. Once the guns start breaking, they cannot be replaced. Commissioner Hendricks reported that he attended the SRT presentation by Lt. Shopay which was a real good job. AC Kanehailua stated that they receive requests for active shooter presentations, but community turnout has been poor. They have a lot of requests from businesses. Commissioner Paiva suggested charging a fee for businesses. Crime Report: Assistance Chief Tavares reported that up through September 30, they had 1,783 serious crimes, of which 341 were investigated by the Criminal Investigation Units. For the month of September, they received 8,194 calls for service. There were no crime trends. There was an increase in theft of parked rental cars in lower Puna which is being addressed with increased patrols. Puna burglaries are also high. Assistant Chief Kealoha reported that South and North Kohala had no crime trends. Kona had an increase in auto burglaries. Ka'u had an increase in property crimes mostly in the Hawaiian Ocean View area. It is being addressed by the CPOs. They know who the individuals are but don't have enough to arrest them. Certain individuals were recently released, and the burglaries increased. AC Tavares stated that many of the people who live in Puna drive to Hilo to work, and so no one is at home. AC Kealoha stated that HOVE is similar. Both are commuter environments. Traffic Report: AC Kealoha reported that for the month of September, 4,291 citations were issued for: Moving/Regulatory (2,967), Seat Belt (266), Child Restraint (127), and Speeding (1,031). There were no traffic trends. The fatality count is at 10 compared to 2 this time last year. Alcohol has been a contributor to accidents, and it's happening all around the island. They had 4 fatalities in the last two months, and alcohol was a contributing factor. It's very difficult for TEU to do enforcement on Highway 190 where there is no room to pull over. Accidents have been at very early morning hours. They have two stealth units in operations that Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes October 21, 2016 Page 3 record for 24-hour periods. They deploy them in areas of complaints, and it tells them whether or not they have a problem. AC Kealoha stated that they have certified drug recognition experts (DRE). Certification is statewide, and everyone is trained the same way. The Legislature has not yet established requirements for marijuana, whereas alcohol is .08. Commendations of Sworn and Civilian Employees: AC Kealoha reported having 9 commendations involving 55 personnel since the last commission meeting. • Other Departmental Activities (None reported.) EXECUTIVE SESSION (Closed to the public.) Commissioner Paiva motioned to meet in executive session to work on the annual evaluation of the police chief; to consider discipline and charges against officers or employees of the Hawaii Police Department; to consider sensitive matters relating to public safety; and may consult with Corporation Counsel on questions and issues pertaining to the commission's powers, duties, privileges, immunities, and liabilities pursuant to HRS 92-5 (a) (2) (4) (6) and the Hawaii County Charter Section 13-20 (b). Commissioner Carlson seconded, and it carried unanimously. Executive session convened at 10:14 a.m. Regular session reconvened at 12:37 p.m. ACTION ON EXECUTIVE SESSION MATTERS Consideration and Investigation of Complaints ✓ Complaint HPC 16-18: Complainant complained about how responding officers handled her complaint. Commissioner Buckman motioned that there was insufficient evidence to prove the complainant's allegations of misconduct. Commissioner Hu seconded, and it carried unanimously. ✓ Complaint HPC 16-24: Complainant alleged that when an officer responded to a call to check on her welfare, it was a violation of her privacy and rights. She also complained that her apartment is a weapons -free zone, but the officer entered with his gun. Commissioner Hendricks motioned that there was insufficient evidence to prove the complainant's allegations of misconduct. Commissioner Carlson seconded, and it carried unanimously. ✓ Complaint HPC 16-30: Complainant alleged that when he made a complaint, an officer had a conflict of interest because he was nice at first and then turned against him. Commissioner Hu motioned to refer the complaint to the Police Chief for customer service concerns. Commissioner Hendricks seconded, and it carried unanimously. Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes October 21, 2016 Page 4 ✓ Complaint HPC 16-33: Complainant alleged that an officer was being mean when he gave her three citations for touching the solid white line on the right. Commissioner Paiva motioned to refer the complaint to the Police Chief for customer service concerns and additional Aloha Training. Commissioner Buckman seconded, and it carried unanimously. ✓ Complaint HPC 16-37: Complainant was arrested for DUI. He alleged that when he returned to his vehicle, money was missing from his wallet that was left in the vehicle. He assumed the officer took it. Commissioner Buckman motioned that there was insufficient evidence to prove the complainant's allegations of misconduct. Commissioner Hendricks seconded, and it carried unanimously. ✓ Complaint HPC 16-40: Complainant alleged that prior to attending a community meeting, an officer forcibly grabbed and searched him. Commissioner Hu motioned that there was insufficient evidence to prove the complainant's allegations of misconduct. Commissioner Paiva seconded, and it carried unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS • Chair Schutte announced that the Police Commission's next monthly meeting will be on Friday, November 18, 2016, 9:00 a.m., Waimea Community Center, Dept. of Parks & Recreation, 62-1260 Kawaihae Rd., Kamuela, Hawaii. • Collection of files and documents (Done.) ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 12:45 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: JOSIE PELAYO, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: GUY SCHUTTE, CHAIR