LIHUE — A plan to replace future police vacancies along with a plan to fill remaining open spots was an issue raised at the County of Kauai Police Commission meeting on Friday. Commission Chair James O’Connor said the department is
LIHUE — A plan to replace future police vacancies along with a plan to fill remaining open spots was an issue raised at the County of Kauai Police Commission meeting on Friday.
Commission Chair James O’Connor said the department is currently the closest it has come to a full complement of uniformed officers and personnel in recent years.
Acting Assistant Chief of Police Sherman Perez said the number of vacancies at the start of the year is what prompted the largest police academy ever with 20 graduates. The 84th class is scheduled to start on June 24.
“The goal is to fill all the vacancies and we are getting there,” Perez said. “Come June 24, we will be much closer to full capacity.”
Commissioner Randy Francisco encouraged the department to have officers report if they are considering retirement in the coming year or two so that planning can begin in a timely fashion. Skilled positions take time to fill and waiting until it is vacant is unnecessary.
Francisco said the total cost of training an officer candidate exceeds $80,000 per individual and a class of 20 costs the taxpayers $1.6 million. He said the responsibility to taxpayers is to show that this investment is worthwhile.
“This is an important benchmark as we are moving forward to the accreditation phase,” Francisco said.
Commissioner Bradley Chiba asked about the promotion process and if senior officers automatically move into an open position.
“There is a selection process and the final decision is left to the chief’s office,” Perez said. “If there are 10 openings it doesn’t mean that all 10 will be filled, and it all depends on the situation and the needs of the department.”
The current rash of burglaries along the South Shore was an issue raised by Commissioner Donald Okami Sr. He asked the department for an update on the situation.
Chief of Police Darryl Perry confirmed there is a spike of burglaries occurring in the South Shore area. He said some individuals have been identified as possible perpetrators and that police are interviewing residents for additional information.
On the topic of accommodations, Chief Perry noted that Kapaa High School Services Officer Barry DeBlake initiated a project that resulted in clearing a one-acre area of brush near the school. It had reportedly been used as a hiding area for truants and drug activity was also suspected.
DeBlake used an environmental design concept and with permission from school administrators, organized volunteers and contractor donations of heavy equipment, labor and fuel. The project followed from April 14-26.
Commission Vice Chair Charles Iona said that more patrols on the road during the May high school graduation period likely helped prevent the recurring tragedies of years past.
“This year’s graduating class had no fatalities and that is eye-opening and comforting to know the children are safer this year,” Iona said. “We always worry what will happen, and to see a lot of patrol vehicles on the road, I think made a difference.”
Francisco said the State of Hawaii Police Commissioners Conference, hosted by Kauai Police Commission on May 23-24, was a success due to partnerships and support from the office of Boards and Commissions.
“We did more than what was expected for the goals of this event,” Francisco said. Kauai hopefully set a standard of what is expected for the annual conference.”
Action taken by the Commission on Friday was to approve a motion involving a communication from County Council Chair Jay Furfaro and Members of the Kauai Police Commission. The motion relates to the department operations as it relates to 2013 Kauai Police Department budget.
The Commission announced that three complaints filed against officers in March and April did not have sufficient evidence and were not sustained. One complaint alleges that an unidentified officer was unprofessional during an arrest, while another said an officer did not reveal status information of a theft, and a third accused an officer of failing to serve court document in time and resulted in an unnecessary court continuance.
The Commission went into closed session for ongoing discussions of the Declaratory Action to determine the powers of the mayor and the powers of the Police Commission. Other closed session issues were about an investigation for departmental transparency.
Public complaints that were discussed in the closed session concerned an officer accused of using unnecessary force, and another about an officer who wrote a police report on a crime that involved the complainant and two of the officer’s family members. A third alleges that an officer was disrespectful, rude and failed to obtain the complainant’s statement of what occurred.
The next regular meeting is June 28, 9 a.m. at the Moikeha Building in Meeting Room 2A/2B.
