Paid overtime
under house arrest
for police

The Honolulu Police Department
needs to make ends meet
until June 30

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

Paid overtime for Honolulu police officers and many civilian employees is being suspended until further notice, Deputy Police Chief William Clark has announced.

"I know (the officers) are not going to be happy, but I do think they know what the problem is, and we're going to have to try and get through this," Clark said.

The move has been anticipated for weeks. Clark said there is a financial crunch and the department must make it until June 30 -- the end of the fiscal year.

He noted that Mayor Jeremy Harris has suggested jobs may be lost in other departments because of the lack of money.

Clark made the announcement at Wednesday's command meeting. Acting Chief Lee Donohue is attending a convention on the mainland.

He said officers can file for compensatory time off at the overtime rate for extra hours worked.

The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers has agreed to waive the 72-hour maximum for accumulated compensatory time in favor of the federal standard of 480 hours, he added.

"The possibility has always been there, but this is the first time it's ever happened," SHOPO President Bennie Atkinson said.

"The union obviously doesn't like it, but the contract says if budgeted overtime funds run out, they have the right to pay compensatory time. I would hope they are applying for supplementary funds."

Civilian employees in the Communications Division were notified yesterday that they, too, will be paid in compensatory time.

The employees are represented by the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

The department's budget represents about one-third of the total city budget, Clark said. Police reportedly budgeted $10 million for overtime in the 1997-98 fiscal year.

"Our overtime budget is as big as the total budgets of some departments," Clark said.

"This is real serious stuff. But I want everyone to know that we're not going to compromise service or our officers' safety."

Clark said the department has used overtime to make up for its manpower shortage.

Many patrol districts are operating with 80 percent manpower, and people are called in on overtime when the level falls below that, he said.