Task force to study HPD vacancies
3 minute readPublished: Monday, July 21, 2025 at 10:05 am
Honolulu Forms Task Force to Address Police Staffing Crisis
Honolulu is taking action to address a significant staffing shortage within the Honolulu Police Department (HPD). An 11-member task force has been established by the City Council to tackle the issue of 456 uniformed officer vacancies, a number that has increased by 32% in recent years despite existing mitigation efforts.
The task force, chaired by Council Vice Chair Andria Tupola, comprises elected officials, city staff, union representatives, and an external law enforcement agent. The group's formation follows the passage of Resolution 160, which highlighted concerns about inadequate police coverage, increased emergency response times, and heightened safety risks due to the staffing shortage.
The task force's objectives include analyzing HPD's recruitment and retention challenges, evaluating existing hiring and retention initiatives, assessing hiring standards, developing a strategic plan to reduce vacancies, and reviewing the department's budget. Meetings are scheduled from August through November. However, these meetings will not be open to the public, as the task force serves as an advisory committee to the City Council. The public will have an opportunity to comment when the Council considers legislation based on the task force's final report, which is due within 180 days of the resolution's adoption.
The creation of the task force comes amid financial concerns. HPD let approximately $15 million in patrol division funding lapse in fiscal year 2024, the largest amount of any city department. Overall, $50 million of HPD's fiscal year 2024 appropriation lapsed. The department's vacancies have grown from 345 in February 2021 to 456 as of February 2025.
The task force's composition includes the addition of Portland Police Bureau Officer Thomas Carvalho, who may offer insight into HPD's vacancies issue. This initiative coincides with the recent retirement of Police Chief Arthur Joe Logan, who is now claiming he was forced to retire and is seeking compensation for the remainder of his contract.
BNN's Perspective:
While the formation of a task force is a positive step towards addressing the HPD's staffing challenges, the lack of public access to the task force meetings raises concerns about transparency. The public's ability to provide input will be limited to the legislative phase. It is crucial that the task force's recommendations are thoroughly vetted and implemented to ensure the safety and well-being of the community.
Keywords: Honolulu Police Department, HPD, staffing shortage, vacancies, task force, recruitment, retention, budget, public safety, City Council, Resolution 160, Arthur Joe Logan, police chief, funding, officer, police, law enforcement.