The Honolulu Police Department regularly conducts
line and staff inspections of all of its components
(including personnel, facilities, equipment, vehicles,
and operations) with attention to conditions,
operations, and actions that contribute to the
success or failure of police operations.
DEFINITIONS

Element: An organizational component of the department at any level.

Line inspection: The objective and purposeful
observation and evaluation of personnel, facilities,
procedures, activities, or events within the
direct chain of command of the inspecting supervisor.
The inspecting supervisor is responsible for
ensuring that substandard conditions are corrected,
unless the degree of the condition requires action
by the element commander.

Staff inspection: An annual inspection by the
Professional Standards Office (PSO) that examines
an element’s facilities, property and equipment,
personnel, and operations. The purpose is to
provide information to management to enable
changes to be made to improve performance.
The Chief of Police may direct a staff inspection
to be performed on any area of the department at any time.

LINE INSPECTIONS

A. All element commanders or designees
are responsible for ensuring that their
elements are always in compliance with
departmental standards for facilities,
equipment, police vehicles, personnel,
and operations. They shall, at their
discretion, conduct inspections to ensure that:

1. Acceptable levels of appearance and personal
hygiene are maintained by their personnel;

2. Their personnel are adhering to departmental policies and procedures;

3. Assigned tasks are being performed properly;

4. Personal and issued equipment is operational
and in compliance with departmental requirements; and

5. The security and functional aspects of the facilities are adequate.

B. Element commanders and supervisors are
accountable for all personnel, police equipment,
and operations under their authority. Therefore,
each commander and supervisor is directly
responsible for taking the required action to
ensure these areas under their authority meet departmental standards.

1. Deficiencies that are noted which do not
pose a danger to the employees or the public
should be brought to the attention of the employee
and the employee’s immediate supervisor, who shall
ensure that the employee corrects the deficiency as soon as possible.

2. Deficiencies which may pose a reasonable
danger to the employee or the public must be
corrected immediately. The employee shall not
be assigned to duty until the deficiency is corrected.

3. If, due to dangerous deficiencies, an
employee is unable to be assigned to duty for
a period beyond one shift, a To/From report
shall be written by the supervisor to the
element commander. The element commander
shall determine what action will be taken
pursuant to the Standards of Conduct.

C. Follow-up inspections will be scheduled
based on the extent of the adjustments to be made.

STAFF INSPECTIONS

A. The inspection team consists of detectives
from the PSO, who conduct formal inspections under
the authority of the Chief of Police to ensure that:

1. Departmental policies and procedures are
adequate and effective in achieving departmental objectives;

2. Personnel are performing their duties in
accordance with policies and procedures;

3. Departmental facilities, equipment, and
vehicles are being adequately maintained and used properly; and

4. Information being disseminated by the
Chief of Police is being effectively communicated
to all members of the department.

B. The inspection team shall:

1. Coordinate with the element’s command
staff to discuss the focus of the inspection
and answer any questions about the inspection;

2. Examine the Property and Equipment
Inventory, mandated reports, the personnel
roster and schedule, and training records.
Additionally, examine documentation, interview
personnel, and observe operations; and

3. Prepare the final report and schedule
an exit meeting with the head of the element
to discuss the results or findings of the
inspection, including the areas inspected
and results, as well as areas of concern.
The head of the element may clarify any
discrepancies and provide information not
available to the inspection team which contradicts a finding.

C. The annual schedule for formal staff
inspections is approved by the Chief of Police,
who may order more frequent inspections or
unannounced inspections of personnel and their
equipment, evidence and property storage areas, and confidential funds.

D. The head of any element may request a special, formal staff inspection.

E. Inspection Team Report

1. The inspection team shall prepare a
written report for each formal staff inspection,
which will address both positive and negative
findings and may include recommendations for corrective action.

2. The final staff inspection report is
routed to the Office of the Chief via both
deputy chiefs, the appropriate assistant chief,
and the commander of the element audited.
Copies of all staff inspections are maintained
by the PSO and are available to element commanders upon request.

3. The element commander shall conduct a
follow-up inspection to ensure that the corrections have been made, and

a. Correct deficiencies that can be immediately corrected;

b. Request the necessary funding through
the budget process in cases where corrective action requires new resources;

c. Prepare a written report within 14 days
of receipt of the final inspection report detailing the actions taken; and

d. Send the report through the chain of command to the Chief of Police.
ANNUAL CHIEF’S REVIEW AND ADDRESS

A. Each element commander shall schedule an annual chief’s review of the element with the Office of the Chief thirty days prior to the desired date (refer to the attachment). Element commanders shall contact the Chief of Police’s secretary or designee to make an appointment. In addition, the following documents shall be forwarded to the Office of the Chief one week before the review:

1. Personnel roster of those who will be
in attendance, to include the first and last
names and any nicknames of each person; and

2. Element highlights.

B. The element may invite a distinguished
guest to observe the review to promote public
awareness and support. The invitation shall
be coordinated with the element’s bureau chief and the Office of the Chief.

C. The element may ask that the Chief give
special recognition to outstanding personnel and/
or programs by submitting a written request with
the relevant information (e.g., commendation/award
to be read) to the Office of the Chief when scheduling the review.