HCR209

WHEREAS, state deputy sheriffs provide vital law enforcement services statewide by preserving the peace and protecting all persons, property, and facilities within all branches of state government, including the Honolulu International Airport; and

WHEREAS, state deputy sheriffs are involved at various stages of the criminal justice system such as arresting, booking, and processing persons, as well as escorting, securing, and transporting inmates for court appearances; and

WHEREAS, state deputy sheriffs also conduct important criminal and civil investigations on cases that occur within their jurisdiction; and

WHEREAS, state deputy sheriffs' pay and other benefits such as uniform and weapons allowances are not competitive when compared with county police officers or deputy sheriffs on the west coast; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement agencies on the mainland have recruited experienced deputy sheriffs from Hawaii to relocate; and

WHEREAS, state deputy sheriffs deserve additional compensation and better benefits commensurate with county police officers in Hawaii and their counterparts in Washington, Oregon, and California; and

WHEREAS, a recent arbitration award gave county police officers across-the-board pay raises and differentials that create an even greater disparity between the state deputy sheriffs and the county police officers; and

WHEREAS, recruiting and retaining well-trained state deputy sheriffs contributes to the safety of our communities and the efficiency of government; now, therefore;

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the Departments of Human Resources Development and Public Safety are requested to negotiate higher salaries and increased benefits for state deputy sheriffs with the Hawaii Government Employees Association to provide total compensation that is competitive with county police officers and west coast deputy sheriffs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Departments are further requested to conclude the negotiations with sufficient time to include the necessary costs in the supplemental state budget; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Director of Human Resources Development, Director of Public Safety, the Administrator of the Sheriffs Division of the Department of Public Safety, and the Executive Director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association; and

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Deputy Sheriffs; Increase Salaries and Improve Benefits

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	209
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII