Departmental personnel will be evaluated periodically
on the performance of their assigned duties and
responsibilities. Performance evaluations will
provide the Chief of Police with a tool to
determine management and operational needs,
as well as motivate employees to achieve full potential.

CRITERIA FOR RATING

A. The performance evaluation shall be
prepared in compliance with civil service
rules and on an e-form approved by the
director of the Department of Human Resources (DHR).

B. The performance evaluation shall be
specific to the assignment of the employee during the rating period.

C. To ensure that the employee is aware
of the supervisor’s expectations, the supervisor
shall discuss with the employee the duties,
responsibilities, performance, and conduct expected of him or her.

D. An employee on probationary status
shall be evaluated every three months up
until the expiration of the probation period.
An employee on regular status shall be evaluated
annually beginning with the employee’s employment anniversary date.

E. The immediate supervisor who is in a
position to rate the employee’s performance
most objectively shall rate each employee.

1. The standard to determine the rating
supervisor is supervision for at least six months.

2. If the current supervisor has been the
employee’s immediate supervisor for a period of
less than six months and feels able to rate the
employee objectively, that supervisor shall prepare
the rating. The period of supervision should be indicated on the e-form.

3. If the current supervisor has been the
employee’s immediate supervisor for a period of
less than six months and does not feel able to
rate the employee objectively, that supervisor may:

a. Forward the rating e-form to the element
of assignment of the last supervisor who had the
employee for more than six months. If the last
supervisor is in the same element, return the
rating form to the element liaison for assignment to that supervisor; or

b. Consult with the last supervisor who
can offer an objective assessment of the
employee’s performance. Include the previous
supervisor’s name and comments on the rating
e-form, along with the name of the supervisor completing the evaluation.

F. If the employee is on extended leave
and the supervisor is unable to assess the
employee’s performance objectively, the leave
commencement date and reason for the inability
to evaluate should be included in the “Comments”
section of the rating e-form.

The rating e-form shall be forwarded to
the element commander or designee for approval and closure.

G. If the supervisor is able to rate the
employee’s performance but the employee is not
available to discuss or acknowledge the rating, the supervisor shall:

1. Indicate in the “Comments” section of
the e-form that the employee is not available
for review and acknowledgment and the specific
reason for the unavailability; and

2. Forward the e-form to the element commander
or designee for approval and closure.

H. Supervisors shall be trained on the
evaluation process before rating subordinates

EVALUATIONS OF CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES

A. Civilian personnel will be evaluated
with the Performance Evaluation Report (PER), city e-form
HR-44/HR-45, accessible at http://eforms by clicking
“Submit a Request” and then “DHR Forms.”

B. The supervisor should review the evaluation
factors by selecting the “Rating Factors” button at
the top of the e-form prior to rating the employee.
The evaluation factors serve as guidelines and should
not be the sole basis for comments on performance.

C. The supervisor should include substantive
comments on the employee’s performance for the
evaluation period just completed, recognizing both
strong and weak points in the “Comments” section.

1. Comments should be original, factual,
specific, brief, and applicable to the individual being rated.

2. Future performance expectations, rating
criteria, or goals for the next evaluation period should be included.

3. An excellent performance should be commended.

4. Counseling on topics such as advancement,
specialization, or training as appropriate for the
employee’s position should also be included.

D. Certification and Submission

1. The e-form provides for three certifications.

a. The rating supervisor shall discuss a drafted
PER with his or her supervisor before the employee
who is being evaluated reviews the report.

The supervisor shall evaluate the rater regarding
the fairness and impartiality of the ratings given
and the rater’s counseling of the rated employee;
the supervisor shall also ensure that the ratings are applied uniformly.

After any changes are made, the rater
shall select the “Supervisor” button and indicate
in the “Comments” section that it was reviewed by
the rater’s supervisor before the e-form is reviewed by the employee.

b. The employee shall enter any comments
(if preferred) and select the “Employee” button
on the e-form after having had the opportunity
to discuss the rating with the supervisor. If
the employee refuses to select the “Employee”
button, the supervisor shall indicate the refusal
in the “Comments” section to indicate that the refusal was made in person.

c. The element commander or designee is the
designated reviewer. The reviewer acknowledges
the evaluation for the Chief of Police.

2. The element commander or designee shall
select the “Appointing Authority” button to approve and close the PER.

3. The completed PER shall be accessible
to the employee, immediate supervisor, previous
supervisor (if applicable), element liaison, and
element commander or designee at http://eforms by
clicking the “View Processed Requests” option.

4. Unless otherwise specified by a collective
bargaining agreement, the completed PER shall be
maintained by the City and County of Honolulu’s
e-form system. All previously completed PERs shall
remain with the Honolulu Police Department (HPD)
throughout the employee’s tenure. When the employee
leaves the department, the PER shall be forwarded to the DHR for filing.
EVALUATIONS OF SWORN EMPLOYEES

A. Police officers will be evaluated with the PER,
HPD-409 e-form, accessible at http://eforms by clicking
“Submit a Request” and then “HPD Forms.”

B. Supervisors shall:

1. Be familiar with the contents of the PER and follow the instructions;

2. Understand the duties and responsibilities of
the position held by the employee being rated;

3. Use a process of objective reasoning, eliminating
personal prejudice, bias, and favoritism;

4. Observe and analyze the employee’s performance
in terms of each factor listed on the rating form;

5. Base their judgment on demonstrated performance, not potential;

6. Evaluate the employee’s performance during the entire rating period;

7. Set experience apart from performance.
An employee with a short service record may be
as effective in his or her position as one with
a longer term of employment; and

8. Ensure that the “Areas for Growth”
section is completed and that the “Comments”
section includes the following:

a. Results of performance for the evaluation period just completed;

b. Future performance expectations, rating criteria,
or goals for the next evaluation period; and

c. Counseling on topics such as advancement,
specialization, or training as appropriate for the employee’s position.

C. Certification and Submission

1. The PER e-form requires four certifications.

a. The rater shall discuss a drafted PER with
his or her supervisor and make any changes before
the employee who is being evaluated reviews the
report. The supervisor shall evaluate the rater
regarding the fairness and impartiality of the
ratings given and the rater’s counseling of the
rated employee; the supervisor shall also ensure
that the ratings are applied uniformly.

After any changes are made, the rater’s supervisor
shall then certify the PER by selecting the “Rating
Supervisor” button before it is reviewed by the employee.

b. The rater shall certify the PER by
selecting the “Rater” button before it is reviewed by the employee.

c. Together, the rater and the rater’s supervisor
shall discuss the PER with the employee, allow the
employee to enter any comments, and have the employee
certify the PER by selecting the “Employee” button.

If the employee refuses to select the “Employee”
button, the rater shall include in the “Comments”
section the date of the discussion and witness of
this refusal by the rater’s supervisor to indicate
that the refusal was made in person.

d. The element commander or designee shall
approve and close the completed PER by selecting
the “Element Commander (or Designee)” button.

2. The completed PER shall be accessible to
the officer, immediate supervisor, previous
supervisor (if applicable), element liaison, and
element commander or designee at http://eforms by
clicking the “View Processed Requests” option.

3. Unless otherwise specified by a collective
bargaining agreement, the completed PER shall be
maintained by the City and County of Honolulu’s
e-form system. All previously completed
PERs shall remain with the HPD throughout the
officer’s tenure. When the officer leaves the
department, the PER shall be forwarded to the DHR for filing.

UNSATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE

A. Supervisors must be prepared to:

1. Substantiate ratings at the unsatisfactory level;

2. Advise the employee of the unsatisfactory performance; and

3. Define actions that should be taken to improve the employee’s performance.

B. When an employee’s job performance is
unsatisfactory, the supervisor shall, as soon
as practicable, notify the employee in writing
no less than 90 days prior to the next rating period.

1. The written notification should detail
the deficiency or deficiencies and provide guidance for improvement.

2. A copy of the written notification should
be forwarded to the HRD where it shall be retained
in the employee’s personnel file.

C. When deemed appropriate by the supervisor’s
element commander, a “Below Standard Performance”
letter may be requested from the Chief of Police.

1. The element commander or designee shall
prepare a report to the HRD requesting the document.

2. The HRD shall prepare the letter for the Chief of Police’s approval.

D. The completed substandard rating e-form
shall be forwarded to the Human Resources Officer
who will certify the rating e-form by left clicking
the “Human Resources Officer” button.

A copy of the completed substandard rating e-form
shall be retained in the employee’s personnel file.

E. When deemed appropriate by the supervisor’s
element commander, the employee shall be placed on a
special three-month performance evaluation.

1. The element commander or designee shall
prepare a report to the HRD that clearly identifies
the employee’s areas of substandard performance with
recommendations for improvement.

2. The HRD shall prepare a letter for the
Chief of Police’s signature informing the employee
of being placed on a special three-month performance evaluation.

3. The supervisor shall reevaluate the employee’s
work performance by completing a special
three-month performance evaluation report.

4. If the employee’s performance improves
to a satisfactory level, the supervisor shall
generate and complete a rating e-form indicating such.

5. If the employee’s performance continues to
be substandard at the end of the special three-month
rating period, the employee will be informed by
written notification of the continued substandard
performance. The employee shall be placed on an
additional, special three-month performance evaluation.

6. If after the additional, special three-month
performance evaluation the employee’s performance
continues to be rated as substandard, the employee
may be subject to transfer, demotion, or termination.

7. All e-forms and documents generated as a
result of any of the special performance evaluation
periods shall be retained in the employee’s personnel file.