The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) shall conduct
a Ride Along program with the following objectives:
I. To promote and improve a mutual understanding
of police and community problems;
II. To improve the image of the police in the
community and develop an awareness of and respect
for law and order; and
III. To develop enthusiasm for a career in law enforcement.
ELIGIBILITY TO PARTICIPATE
Participants in the Ride-Along program shall be limited to the following:
A. Visiting law enforcement officials;
B. Government officials as related to their official duties;
C. College students as arranged for classroom credit programs;
D. Civilian employees of the HPD;
E. Certified law enforcement explorers;
F. Persons with an interest in a career in
law enforcement as referred by school and career counselors;
G. Families and friends of police officers to
ride with that particular officer;
H. Members of the news media; and
I. Others at the discretion of the commander
of the Community Affairs Division (CAD) or the district patrol commander.
YOUTH RIDE-ALONG
A. Must be age 12 through 17 to participate.
B. The parent(s) or guardian(s) of interested
youths must sign the Parental Consent – Authorization/
Medical/Injury, HPD 233 form, and have the signature
witnessed by a police officer.
C. The Permit to Ride (Minors)/Emergency
Information portion of the HPD 233 form must be
approved and signed by the commander of the CAD
or a designee or by the district patrol commander.
This form must be in the participant’s possession
at all times during each ride. After the ride,
the district patrol command shall forward the form
to the CAD for retention.
ADULT RIDE-ALONG
A. Must be age 18 or older to participate.
B. Each ride must be authorized by the CAD
commander or a designee or by the district patrol commander.
C. Adults must fill out the Adult Waiver –
Authorization/Medical/Injury, HPD 385 form, and
have it approved and signed by the commander of
the CAD or a designee. The HPD 385 form may also
be approved and signed by a lieutenant or higher
ranking officer of the district patrol command.
D. The Permit to Ride/Emergency Information
portion of the HPD 385 form (or the equivalent
Authorization to Ride/Emergency Information card
for Police Commissioners) must be in the participant’s
possession at all times during each ride. After
the ride, the district patrol command shall forward
the card to the CAD for retention.
LIMITATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
A. All participants in the Ride Along program
are limited to one ride per calendar year.
Exceptions to this limit are made for the following:
1. Police commissioners;
2. Persons on the civil service eligibility
list for police recruit, who will be permitted to
ride on a space-available basis; and
3. Others at the discretion of the CAD commander
or the district patrol commander.
B. Processing and approving persons for the
Ride Along program shall be the responsibility of the following:
1. A person meeting the eligibility requirements
of section I A through F above shall be processed by the CAD;
2. Persons meeting the eligibility requirements
of section I G above shall be processed by the
appropriate patrol district; and
3. Persons meeting the eligibility requirements
of section I H above shall be screened, approved,
and processed by the Media Liaison Office prior to
being referred to the appropriate patrol district.
RECRUITMENT
A. All departmental personnel are urged to support this program.
B. Employees shall refer interested, eligible
persons to the CAD for placement with the proper district patrol commands.
PROGRAM OPERATION
A. The hours of operation will normally be
from 1800 to 2200 hours. Ride-Alongs shall be
limited to four hours. Exceptions to these hours
may be made at the discretion of the district commander.
B. Each district patrol commander will
designate a district coordinator to oversee
the operation of the program in his or her
district, while maintaining overall responsibility for its success.
C. District coordinators shall be responsible
for and actively participate in the immediate
operation of the program. Active participation,
however, does not relieve them of their regular
duties, assignments, and responsibilities for
supervising their subordinates.
D. As a rule, riders will participate on a
one to one basis. However, more than one rider
at a time is permissible if the watch commander
and participating officer agree to this arrangement.
E. Male riders will ride with male officers
and female riders with female officers. Exceptions
require the watch commander’s permission. Two riders
of opposite sexes may ride with either male or female officers.
F. Riders will make arrangements with the district
coordinators or watch commanders at least two days in
advance of the desired Ride-Along date.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF DISTRICT PATROL COMMANDS
Each district patrol command is responsible for the following:
A. Assigning riders to patrol officers and
scheduling the number of riders per day;
B. Ensuring that criminal history, National
Crime Information Center (NCIC), and warrant checks
are completed for each participant. If any check
is positive, it must be reviewed by the district
commander before the individual is permitted to ride;
C. Ensuring that every person participating in
this program has a properly signed waiver and approval.
No one is permitted to ride without having the appropriate
signatures on all forms;
D. Ensuring that all participants are properly
attired and wearing shoes (no slippers);
E. Ensuring that riders are not transferred
from one officer to another without the coordinator’s approval; and
F. Having the rider read and sign the
Instructions for Participants, HPD 233B form;
ensuring the rider understands the instructions;
and forwarding the completed form to the CAD.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARTICIPATING OFFICERS
A. The officer is to give complete instructions
on what to do in emergency situations and make
certain that the rider understands these instructions.
B. The officer is to exercise caution and
discretion when responding to any occurrence so
that the safety and well-being of the rider are not jeopardized.
C. The officer is to ensure that all riders
secure themselves with seat belts.
D. If an officer becomes involved in a
lengthy investigation, the officer should
notify the Communications Division so that
the necessary arrangements can be made to
have the rider returned home or transferred to another officer.
E. The rider is only an observer and
should be instructed not to get involved
in the investigative work of the officer.
When necessary, the rider shall be dropped
off at a safe, well-lighted area; the
Communications Division shall be notified
of the location; and the rider shall be
picked up as soon as a unit is available.
CAD PROGRAM COORDINATOR
The commander of the CAD shall appoint a
program coordinator to manage the overall
operations of the Ride-Along program.
The CAD program coordinator shall:
A. Ensure that criminal history, NCIC,
and warrant checks are completed for each
participant. If any check is positive, it
must be reviewed by the division commander
before the individual is permitted to ride;
B. Ensure that waivers and other forms are properly processed:
1. When the HPD 233 forms are processed,
care must be taken to ensure that the
signatories of these forms are the actual
parents or guardians of the minor who is to ride;
2. Should the parents be divorced, the
parent who has custody of the minor should
be the signatory. This must be verified by a court order; and
3. Should the minor be a ward of the
court, the signatory should be the
representative of the court for that minor;
C. Establish the rules of conduct,
attendance, dress, and personal grooming; and
D. Ensure that participants report to the proper district stations.
INJURY
A. When a rider is injured while on tour
with an officer, the rider shall be taken to
the nearest medical facility or to the hospital
designated on the emergency information card.
B. The person designated on the waiver
form under “in case of emergency, contact . . .”
shall be contacted and notified immediately about
any injury to the rider. The designated, private
physician shall be called if the injury is serious.
C. The district coordinator shall investigate
and submit findings in an official report covering
the injury. One copy of the report shall be forwarded
to the CAD and a second copy to the Department of
the Corporation Counsel, City and County of Honolulu.
PROGRAM FORMS AND INSTRUCTIONS
The attached instruction sheet provides information
on the HPD-233 and HPD-233B forms.