Marked fleet of police cars
considered for Big IsleMayor Kim says there would be
advantages to increased visibility
HILO >> The Hawaii County Police Department is examining whether it should continue to allow officers to drive their own, subsidized vehicles or switch to a fleet of county-owned marked patrol cars.
Mayor Harry Kim requested the department form a committee to look into the possible change to find ways to increase police visibility in the community. But Kim says he isn't necessarily advocating the switch.
"Any time you have a highly visible police department, it's more effective in doing the job," Kim said.
Many Hawaii County police vehicles are now personally owned by the officers, mostly sport utility vehicles with a detachable blue-dome light on the roof. The department also has some county-owned SUVs.
The new committee, which started meeting last month, is made up of four ranking police officers and two civilians. They will consider a full-fleet system, a "phase-in" system and a county take-home system, said Maj. Ronald Nakamichi.
Nakamichi, who heads the committee, said it is also considering more than just increasing visibility, but also the costs and the safety of police officers.
Other considerations that are being examined are vehicle lease and purchase options as well as the possible need for land acquisition for storing the cars and the personnel to maintain them.
Kim said he asked the committee to report back in five to six weeks.
A recent survey of Hawaii County officers found 57 percent favored the current system, which gives patrol officers a $488 car allowance per month. However, 41 percent said they would prefer to switch to a fleet, Nakamichi said.
The Honolulu Police Department, the largest force in the state with 2,000 officers, has a system that uses both subsidized and city-owned fleet vehicles. It has 658 fleet cars, such as the blue-and-white Ford Crown Victorias, and 1,333 authorized subsidized vehicles.
Department spokesman Brandon Stone said the subsidy program, which has been used since the 1930s on Oahu, offers several benefits. Officers who use their own vehicles can respond to an emergency easier if they have their cars, radio and gear with them at home, instead of having to go to the station to pick up a police car.
"They're ready to go," Stone said. "That's hard to put a value on."
The key advantage of a subsidy system is that it saves money, Stone said. The officers who qualify for the program are responsible for buying, maintaining and repairing their vehicles.
He also disagrees that marked cars increase police visibility better than subsidized vehicles.
"Anyone who lives here knows what a police vehicle looks like, they don't really need some fancy markings," he said. "Bad guys know what cop cars look like."
