New HPD chief wants to speed up hiring process using technology

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Honolulu Police Department is losing qualified recruits to other agencies because of a hiring process that can take six to 12 months.

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The department’s new chief wants to cut that timeline to 90 days.

HPD Chief David Lazar said technology could help modernize the process without lowering standards.

“Taking the written exam online and then having an interview via Zoom and then participating in the physical agility exam where you’re being recorded by a proctor and it’s being sent in,” Lazar said on Spotlight Now, “and this all happens in three or four days.”

Don Faumuina, president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO), said the slow process has cost HPD with candidates joining other departments who hire faster.

Faumuina said other officers have told him they chose a different department because they couldn’t wait for HPD to get back to them. They said “‘I would be an officer here with Honolulu PD today (but) San Jose, San Diego, San Fran, and Seattle called me up first,’” he said.

SHOPO supports the chief’s plan.

Vacancies continue to climb, but so does recruiting

HPD’s most recent report, from July 1, shows 463 vacancies — up two from the previous month.

A recently implemented bonus for new hires appears to be making an impact though.

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There are currently 76 recruits split between two academy classes. One class of 37 is set to graduate Friday — the largest graduation in 12 years — and a new class of 66 is starting.

Retention challenges

Retention of veteran officers remains a separate challenge.

More than 300 HPD officers are eligible to retire with full benefits. Lazar said financial incentives are needed to keep experienced officers on the force past the 25-year mark.

“We have to make sure that we are paying salaries for our members so that they want to live here and that they can afford to live here,” Lazar said. “So whether we’re talking about a retention bonus, whether we’re talking about a housing stipend. I know we have been having discussions about childcare. We have to do everything we can to retain our employees.”

Faumuina is pushing for retention bonuses of $7,500 a year for those who hit the 25-year mark, “and after every year, it increases up $1,000 to $2,000.”

Faumuina believes that would keep veteran officers from retiring.

“They have all the knowledge, they have all the experience, and what better way to groom our younger officers so that everything stays consistent,” Faumuina said.

Lazar said he hopes to have the hiring process shortened and updated within a year.

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