Pubdate: Sun, 16 Mar 2003 Source: West Hawaii Today (HI) Copyright: 2003 West Hawaii Today Contact: http://westhawaiitoday.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/644 Author: Tiffany Edwards Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) Note: To read more about the "ice epidemic" in Hawaii, go to http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Hawaii . POLICE ASK COUNCIL FOR MORE MONEY HILO - Police pitched for more officers, equipment, training, and a higher car allowance Friday when Hawaii County Councilmembers took up the department's $36.5 million budget. Four police commissioners joined a handful of police officers - including Police Chief Lawrence Mahuna and SHOPO Hawaii Chapter Chairman Emory Springer - for the council's budget review during a special finance committee meeting. Councilmembers are in the process of interviewing all county department heads as they prepare to amend Mayor Harry Kim's suggested $218.6 million budget. Springer presented a letter to councilmembers, noting next year's police budget doesn't increase the monthly mileage and vehicle allowance for 298 patrolmen and 98 detectives despite an earlier request by Kim to do so. "We believe that police officers deserve an increase in their automobile allowance since we have not seen a raise in this area in eight years," Springer wrote. SHOPO wants to increase the $2,274,288 car and mileage allotment to the 396 officers by $475,200. South Kona Councilman Joe Reynolds suggested police check into West Hawaii Crime Stoppers President Alan Pratt's claim the county could save at least $250,000 the first year police obtained a fleet of patrol cars rather than receiving a subsidy to drive their own cars. Mahuna took a stance against buying a fleet of patrol cars and the elimination of the DARE program - servicing between 4,500 and 7,000 children - - when that was brought up again Friday by Councilman Bob Jacobson, representing South Kona, Ka'u and Puna. Kohala Councilman Leningrad Elarionoff commended Mahuna for his stance on keeping DARE since, in his district, it's "extremely needed, wanted and appreciated." The police chief did say there is a proposal in the works to combine DARE and HI - PAL, an acronym for Hawaii Isle Police Activities League, which is a preventative program designed to get the community involved in athletics. Police Commissioners John Bertsch and Dwight Manago urged councilmembers to allocate $200,000 for police training, since the police budget for training has dwindled from $150,000 to $75,000 over the years and $500 of this year's allotment is supposed to last police until the end of this fiscal year. They also asked for $500,000 to be allocated for new equipment, noting there are police officers in South Kona using typewriters to prepare reports and one officer in Puna brought his home computer into the station in efforts for police there to be able to do their work more efficiently. Commissioners also asked for council's support not only for the mayor's proposal for six additional vice officers to form an "ice" task force on the island, but also 10 new training positions per year. Manago, representing South Kona, said the police department loses an average of 15 officers per year to either resignations and retirements. Last year it lost 30 officers, many of whom took a state or federal agency post for higher pay. There are 35 police vacancies, costing the county a lot in overtime, he pointed out. This year, $317,735 is expected to spent on overtime in Kona, $137,213 in Waimea and $131,046 in Puna. Manago said it takes 18 to 24 months, with training and the probation period, to fill an officer's vacancy. A pool of trained officers to tap into when there is a vacancy might relieve the county of "heavy overtime" costs, he said. He also suggested the county train a pool of dispatchers, as well, since their overtime costs and attrition rates are even higher than police officers. Commissioners also urged the council to support two capital improvement projects - new police stations for Puna and South Kona. The mayor has pitched that $500,000 from an upcoming $36 million bond float go toward the station in South Kona, and $1.1 million go toward a Puna county complex, which is expected to include the police and fire departments among other county offices there. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk