LIHUE — The Kauai Police Department says unanticipated events, including county council meetings, are one cause of increased overtime pay for its officers. The numbers, however, suggest such events account for a small fraction of the department’s total overtime. During
LIHUE — The Kauai Police Department says unanticipated events, including county council meetings, are one cause of increased overtime pay for its officers.
The numbers, however, suggest such events account for a small fraction of the department’s total overtime.
During fiscal year 2013-14, KPD reported $3,051,095 in overtime pay, which accounts for 12.6 percent of the department’s $24.2 million budget.
And of the $5.4 million in overtime expenses divvied out for all county employees, KPD brought home for 56 percent, despite only accounting for 18.5 percent of the county’s total workforce.
During a recent budget hearing, KPD said unanticipated overtime pay during last year’s hearings and rallies related to County Bill 2491 cost taxpayers $66,677.42.
“We can’t budget for those types of things but we have to make sure we provide services for everyone’s safety,” KPD Chief Darryl Perry told the Kauai County Council.
In his PowerPoint presentation, Perry discussed two examples of unanticipated major events that have resulted in overtime — the first an unspecified murder investigation which reportedly cost KPD $8,680 in overtime; the other a detailed chart outlining overtime and fringe benefit costs resulting from six county hearings on Bill 2491 as well as two anti-GMO community rallies.
“We spent about seven times more on the GMO overtime, making sure everything is OK — seven times more than we did on the homicide investigation,” Perry said. “So these types of expenditures will probably continue into the future and we have to be prepared for that.”
Perry’s examples, which together cost $77,357.42, account for 2.5 percent of all KPD overtime pay during the fiscal year.
In an email response, Perry described unanticipated overtime as “events that are unforeseen with respect to normal police operations.”
“These types of events would include natural disasters such as a tsunami, flash floods, heavy rains, etc.,” he wrote. “Other types of events would include civil rights first amendment demonstrations that may result in confrontations between opposing groups such as the recent GMO protests.”
Although unexpected, Perry said KPD provides security during such demonstrations in order to prevent criminal activity and ensure public safety.
The most costly hearing related to Bill 2491 was held at the Kauai Veteran’s Center in July, when 53 KPD officers on duty tallied 175 hours at a cost of $20,153.
The anti-GMO march in Poipu in March resulted in $5,182.19 in overtime pay, while the Mana March in September cost $4,602.26.
The $66,677 price tag does not include straight time hours or overtime done because daily assignments were re-tasked, according to KPD’s presentation.
County spokeswoman Sarah Blane said KPD purposely left out additional details about the murder investigation out of respect for the families.
Kauai’s most recent homicide investigation involved the death of 88-year-old Omao resident Amby Cruz on New Year’s Day. The suspect in the case, 41-year-old Giovani Corpuz, also of Omao, was en route to the Philippines when he was taken into custody and extradited back to the United States.
When asked for an estimate of how much of KPD’s overtime falls into the unanticipated category, Perry said the department does not keep track of those numbers.
“Perhaps in the future we can take a comprehensive assessment as to the amount we spend in unanticipated OT, although it varies from year to year,” he said.
Bill 2491, which was introduced in June by County Council members Gary Hooser and Tim Bynum, resulted in several marathon council meetings, some lasting into the early morning hours.
The bill was passed by the Kauai County Council in November via a veto override, giving the county the authority to regulate the use of pesticides and genetically modified crops on the island.
• Chris D’Angelo, environmental reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or cdangelo@thegardenisland.com.
We can’t budget for those types of things but we have to make sure we provide services for everyone’s safety.
Darryl Perry
Kauai Police Chief
