Notification shall be made to police administrators
of events that may have significant impact on the
department. In order to permit a proper assessment
of the situation before any information is disseminated,
this notification shall take precedence over any release
of information to the news media. However, release of
information to the news media shall not be unduly
delayed if the departmental notification procedure
cannot be completed.

GUIDELINES

A. Events that may have a significant impact
on the department include the following:

1. Critical incidents as described in Policy 4.49,
OFFICER CRITICAL INCIDENT PROTOCOL;

2. Events or cases that may result in notoriety; or

3. Events or cases involving individuals whom the
public may recognize.

B. THIS DIRECTIVE DOES NOT CHANGE THE NOTIFICATION
PLANS OF THE HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
AND THE DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, CITY
AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU.

Elements shall continue to follow current
notification procedures issued by the Department
of Emergency Management and the Hawaii Emergency
Management Agency.
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES

A. Initial Notification Procedure

1. Every officer shall report to the appropriate
district watch commander in any event that may
have a significant impact on the department.

2. The district watch commander shall immediately
relay pertinent information about the event to
the Communications Division and request implementation
of the departmental notification procedure.

B. Critical Incident Notification Procedure

1. Upon request, the Communications Division shall
immediately notify the following:

a. The affected element commanders or executive officers;

b. The affected bureau chief(s);

c. The Criminal Investigation Division watch commander;

d. The Criminal Investigation Section of the Professional
Standards Office;

e. The police psychologist or designee;

f. The Community Affairs Division’s Peer Support Unit
coordinator or designee; and

g. The State of Hawaii Organization of Police
Officers (SHOPO) Honolulu Chapter Chair; or if
unavailable, the Vice Chair; or the designated
district union representative if both the Honolulu
Chapter Chair and Vice Chair are unavailable.
NEWS MEDIA NOTIFICATION

The news media will be handled in accordance with
Policy 5.06, MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS.

A. The commanding officer or designee of the
appropriate element shall be responsible for
answering routine inquiries and releasing follow up information.

B. The officer in charge at a crime scene
or newsworthy event shall be responsible for providing routine information.

C. The Chief of Police or a designee shall
be the sole spokesperson for matters relating to
departmental policy or administration.