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They’re baaaaack!

Northwest police recruiters
cop Hawaii's finest -- again

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By Jaymes K. Song
Star-Bulletin

Two police departments from the Pacific Northwest are sending recruiters to the islands again next month to try to lure some of Hawaii's Finest. And this time, they're upping the ante.

Recruiters from the Portland Police Bureau and the Oregon State Police will be at the Prince Kuhio Hotel in Waikiki starting Sept. 11. Portland will host an "open house" Sept. 13.

They also plan to visit the University of Hawaii and Chaminade University and to attend a job fair at Pearl Harbor Naval Base.

Portland has dropped its four-year college degree requirement for officers with at least two years of continuous duty and two years of college, said recruiter Mark White.

Police pay HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT Entry level: $31,188 After two years: $33,684 After five years: $36,000 PORTLAND POLICE BUREAU Entry level: $32,989 After two years: $45,282 After five years: $54,038 Sources: Honolulu Police Department and the Portland Police Bureau Figures are base salaries and do not include incentives or allowances

In addition, for the first time, Portland is offering lateral transfers -- Honolulu officers will be credited for their years of service here instead of joining the new force as a recruit.

Portland has hired 18 people from Hawaii in the past two years, including 10 Honolulu officers.

A spokesman for the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO) said the added incentives, along with the Portland's higher pay scale, will attract some officers and could cause a small drain on the Honolulu Police Department, which is already down 242 officers from its allotment of 2,034.

"It's the pay and cost of living -- those two things trigger them to leave the islands," said Dennis Kunitake, SHOPO president and a Honolulu police lieutenant.

Portland has about 100 officer vacancies and is expecting 100 retirements in the next two years.

Hawaii top recruiting spot

"We've done very well in Hawaii, more than any other location we've been in," said Portland recruiter Jennifer Lawrence.

Honolulu has been a hotbed of recruiting for several police departments in the past couple of years, especially from Oregon and Washington state. HPD officers have proved to be well-trained. In addition, recruiters say they have been attracted by the high percentage of Honolulu officers who are Asian American or members of other ethnic minorities.

The latest recruiting drives come as the HPD is hiring and training its own recruits in record numbers.

Police departments are experiencing officer shortages nationwide. Officials say the increasing number of people who have used illicit drugs limits the candidate pool. Also, the strong mainland economy and higher-paying jobs are making police work less attractive.

"Recruiting is an issue with any department, and we're about offering opportunity," Lawrence said. "People can make their own decisions. We're not not coming over and stealing them. We're not about raiding someone's department."

Pay a major issue

Pay has always been a major concern, and SHOPO has been pushing for the city to make salaries comparable to mainland departments, Kunitake said.

HPD officers were recently given a 1 percent pay raise.

According to SHOPO, Honolulu officers make roughly 20 percent less than their West Coast counterparts.

Last year, 37 Honolulu officers left for mainland departments, said Capt. Dave Kajihiro, of the Honolulu Police Department's Human Resources Division.

But eight officers have returned to HPD since last year for various reasons. Most of the returning officers were from the King County Sheriff's Office in Seattle.

"It wasn't as green as they thought," Kajihiro said. "They were homesick and didn't have the family network.

"They realize money isn't everything."

With officers returning, it has made others skeptical about leaving. Only four HPD officers left this year for the mainland.

Kunitake said the shortage puts a strain on HPD and the officers, but he won't ask any departing officers to stay.

"We can't blame or stop them ... we hope they succeed," he said. "If they make that decision (to move), we'll support them, although we hate to see them go."