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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-01-19 Police Commission Regular MinutesHAWAII POLICE COMMISSION REGULAR SESSION MINUTES JANUARY 19, 2018 WEST HAWAII CIVIC CENTER, BUILDING G CONFERENCE ROOM 74-5044 ANE KEOHOKALOLE HIGHWAY, KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII CALL TO ORDER Chair Hendricks called the meeting to order at 9:04 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Peter Hendricks, Chair Wayne De Luz, Vice Chair Arthur Buckman, Commissioner Carl Carlson, Commissioner Paul Paiva, Commissioner Colleen Pasco, Commissioner Absent: Jak Hu, Commissioner A quorum was present. Also present: Paul Ferreira, Police Chief Kenneth Bugado, Deputy Chief Mitchell Kanehailua, Assistant Chief Robert Wagner, Major Burt Shimabukuro, Captain Malia Hall, Deputy Corporation Counsel Josie Pelayo, Secretary APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Morioka motioned to approve the agenda. Commissioner Paiva seconded, and it carried unanimously. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS (None) APPROVAL OF MINUTES December 15, 2017, regular and executive sessions: Commissioner Buckman motioned to approve the minutes. Commissioner Carlson seconded, and it carried unanimously. CORRESPONDENCE No. 18-01: Chief Ferreira's Annual Misconduct Report to the State Legislature: No discussion. NEW BUSINESS • State of Hawaii Police Commissioners' Conference hosted by Hawaii County: Chair Hendricks reported that he asked Vice Chair De Luz and Ms. Pelayo to be on the committee. They would like suggestions from the commissioners and police for agenda items. Commissioner Buckman suggested that Kauai give a presentation on their body cameras. Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes January 19, 2018 Page 2 • Review of the Police Commission's Rules and Regulations for possible revisions: Ms. Hall suggested a committee of 2-3 members that she could work with. Commissioners Paiva and Pasco volunteered to be on the committee. CHAIR'S REPORT ON OTHER POLICE COMMISSION ACTIVITIES Chair Hendricks reported that at a previous meeting, there was discussion on wanting more information on the recruitment process. He asked that the department make a presentation to the commission. POLICE CHIEF'S REPORT ON DEPARTMENT ACTIVITIES • Crime Report: Assistant Chief Mitchell Kanehailua reported that up through December 31, 2017, there were 4,169 serious crimes. Of those, the Criminal Investigation units investigated 755 cases. Crime has decreased in Kona and Ka'u, and they continue to monitor the area. For the month of December, they had 8,677 calls for service. FYTD they had 50,894 calls for service. • Traffic Report: Major Robert Wagner reported that FYTD December 17, they had 669 traffic crashes, 12 traffic fatalities, 6 DUI fatalities, and 591 DUI arrests. For the month of December, 4,690 citations were issued: 3,248 moving/regulatory, 274 seatbelt, 34 child restraint, and 1,134 speeding. • Assistant Chief Kanehailua reported that the State has been pushing for DRE (drug recognition expert) officers. Funding comes from the State and grants, and they have increased their number of DRE officers. Commissioner Carlson suggested that this be a topic for their State Police Commission Conference. Vice Chair De Luz stated that this is especially so, with the increase in the availability and use of legalized marijuana. Major Wagner stated that generally, the more you enforce, the less it occurs. It's hard to tell how many DUI fatalities are reduced through enforcement. Vice Chair De Luz asked how to curb fatalities and their strategy. AC Kanehailua stated that they have done some TV public service announcements. The Chief's goal is to lower the fatality rate. Major Wagner stated that they constantly look at the stats for improvements. Commissioner Buckman asked if they could do a search if they have probable cause for DUI. Assistant Chief Kanehailua stated that if the officer can see in the car while standing in a public area, and if they see paraphernalia, they can seize the car. If they have suspicions, they can call for the drug sniffing canine. Major Wagner stated that sometimes, they cannot wait for that to be done. Deputy Chief Bugado stated that if they get a reading below .08, they could call in a DRE officer to do testing. DRE officers go through extensive training. Major Wagner stated that people can also refuse testing. • Personnel Report: Chief Ferreira reported having 35 sworn vacancies. Twelve members of the 86th recruit class are in training. They will start the next recruit class on February 16 with 22 recruits. They hope to have another recruit class this Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes January 19, 2018 Page 3 summer. They have 22 civilian vacancies, 7 of which are dispatchers. They are actively recruiting for dispatchers, and do actual work interviews. With this type of interview, many found it was not a job for them. Nationwide, there is a shortage of dispatchers. One of their CIP project is a joint dispatch center with the Fire Department. Chief Ferreira stated that after each phase of testing, the number of qualified police recruits dwindle. As the economy improves, the number of applicants decrease. Being a police officer is a change in lifestyle. School crossing guards only work one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon, which makes the position very hard to fill. Oftentimes, they hire someone, and then the school offers them a job. He will send the recruit's schedule to the commission to see if there is anything of interest. Finance Report: Chief Ferreira reported that they had a preliminary budget hearing on January 4 with the Budget Office. He told them they cannot cut anymore. They are already at 90% of their overtime budget. They are asking for more supervisors, not more officers. The Mayor's office will review their budget with advice from the Budget Director. Commendations of Sworn and Civilian Employees: Deputy Chief Bugado reported receiving 5 commendations involving 14 personnel since the last meeting. Other Department Activities: Deputy Chief Bugado reported that the Annual Misconduct Report to the Legislature contained cases that went before the ARB. Verbal and written reprimands were not in the report. They did not identify any trends. Chief Ferreira stated that the Police Department has a lot of experience with putting together training conferences and offered to assist the commission with its State of Hawaii Police Commission Conference. Chief Ferreira reported that during the erroneous missile alert, their dispatch center fielded 1,119 calls, which included dropped calls. They had no major incidents. Officers stayed on beat, and dispatchers stayed on line. Recruits and officers are reminded that they are first responders, and they cannot sit back at home. People would be allowed into the Police Department's lobby or receiving area during a crisis like this. EXECUTIVE SESSION Commissioner Morioka motioned to meet in executive session to consider discipline and charges against officers or employees of the Hawaii Police Department, to consider sensitive matters relating to public safety, to work on the Police Chief's annual evaluation, 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 Buckman seconded, and it carried unanimously. Executive session convened at 10:16 a.m. Hawaii Police Commission Regular Session Minutes January 19, 2018 Page 4 Regular session reconvened at 12:05 p.m. ACTION ON EXECUTIVE SESSION MATTERS Investigation and Consideration of Complaints: • HPC 17-35: Complainant complained about the manner in which officers handled his billing dispute with a restaurant lounge. Commissioner Carlson motioned that there was insufficient evidence to prove the complainant's allegation of misconduct. Commissioner Morioka seconded, and it carried unanimously. • HPC 18-02: Complaint was received after the commission's 90 -day filing deadline. The commission will only consider whether or not to accept the complaint for investigation. Commissioner Paiva motioned to accept the complaint for investigation. Commissioner Carlson seconded, and it carried unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Hendricks announced that the Police Commission's next monthly meeting is scheduled for February 16, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. in the Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi St., Hilo, Hawaii. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 12:09 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: JOSIE PELAYO, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: PETER HENDRICKS, CHAIR