Kokua Line
June Watanabe
Reservists receive no
active-duty compensationQuestion: I just learned that the federal government does not offset any part of the pay cut our reservists and National Guard members undergo when they are called to active duty. Do the state or counties make up any part of the difference in pay for their employees?
Answer: Neither the state nor county governments will make up the difference in pay if such an employee is called to active duty.
However, they do provide for 15 days of paid military leave per calendar year either for job training or active duty, said Maj. Charles Anthony, spokesman for the state Department of Defense.
Also, when a guardsman or reservist is called to active duty, family members, "essentially," are able to enjoy the same privileges as dependents of full-time members of the military, he said.
For example, family members can shop at military commissaries an unlimited number of times, instead of just 24 times a year, and are also eligible for medical care at military facilities, he said.
After serving on active duty, the employees are able to return to their jobs or "job equivalent," Anthony said.
Q: On April 1 about 9:15 a.m., I called 911 to report three suspicious juvenile males standing at an intersection in Pearl City. I didn't recognize them as being from the area, and they were lingering around the street for a while. However, when I tried to report them, instead of sending an officer to investigate, the male dispatcher gave me excuses as to why they might be there, such as they could still be on spring break, and was argumentative with me. True, they could still have been on break, or they could have been truants -- neither of us knew. The dispatcher then kept asking me what was so suspicious, such as were they walking into people's garages, etc.? Was I supposed to park my car and watch them? Did the dispatcher want me to approach and confront them? Why didn't an officer get sent to check? The neighborhood has many retired, elderly residents, and the younger ones work during the day. These kids may have been looking and waiting for an opportunity to burglarize a home. When I asked if they were going to send someone, the dispatcher stated something to the effect that there was nothing suspicious. I was so upset with the attitude that I hung up, and don't believe anyone was sent.
A: Police officials listened to a tape of your call and "determined that the call taker was trying to obtain additional information," according to Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu.
An officer was not sent to check out the scene, she confirmed.
However, an officer "probably should have been sent, and a supervisor has talked to the call taker about this," she said.
You did the right thing in calling 911 to report any suspicious activity or behavior, Yu said. But she also said that callers should expect to be asked to provide more information so police know better what they're dealing with.
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