Deputies to handle
airport security

The upcoming change draws
opposition from the police union

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

Beginning Jan. 15, sheriff deputies will assume Honolulu Airport patrol duties now being performed by police. State officials say it will save as much as $400,000 a year.

But the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers opposes the change.

"Something drastic is about to happen with regard to the relationship between state and county law enforcement," SHOPO president Ray Ancheta said. "I have questions about the training and experience of the deputies they plan to use."

The union president presented his concerns about jurisdiction and investigations yesterday to the Honolulu Police Commission, saying "this might be the beginning of a state police situation."

"Will the state have its own evidence unit and record keeping?" Ancheta asked. "We think there needs to be more discussion on how this is all going to happen."

The state has been discussing details of the changeover with Police Chief Michael Nakamura, said Airports Administrator Jerry Matsuda.

"We're doing it for two reasons," Matsuda said. "The savings for the airports program will be $300,000 to $400,000 annually, and Chief Nakamura was agreeable to the fact that he could utilize 25 more police officers in other areas."

Police would continue to investigate felony cases, with state officers handling misdemeanors, Matsuda said. Police handle an average of 300 cases a month at the airport, of which fewer than 10 are felonies, he added.

The state reportedly spent $1.8 million, mostly for salaries and overtime, to keep a 25-member police patrol unit at the airport last year.

Deputy sheriffs earn considerably less than their HPD counterparts.

Nakamura said his department did not initiate changes at the airport and has not agreed to respond to felonies.

"If there's a question of public safety, we would respond," Nakamura said.

"But for investigations of felonies, what to do with evidence if a car is stolen, they shouldn't be tapping the city again.

"If (sheriff's deputies) have law-enforcement authority, they should perform as a law-enforcement entity."

The University of Hawaii employs its own campus security force, as well as private security officers who have a working relationship with police. Hotels and shopping centers have similar arrangements.

Ancheta said the comparisons cannot be made with the airport, where police provide more than security functions.

He confirmed that working at the airport is considered a "choice assignment" by police because of the availability of overtime.

Senior officers are given preference for transfers, with motormen, sergeants and lieutenants assigned there having an average of 20 or more years of experience, he said.

Matsuda's office said the proposed setup at the airport would be similar to what exists at the State Capitol.

The changeover will apply only to Honolulu Airport and not to airports on the neighbor islands, Matsuda said.