Message from Chief Joe Logan
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the 12th Chief of Police of the Honolulu Police Department. When I took this job two years ago, I vowed to make changes where needed, earn the trust of our employees, and strive to attain the ideals of 21st Century Policing.
As part of this effort, I asked the staff to conduct an internal survey to gauge what employees thought of the administration and command staff’s management of the department. About 370 officers of all ranks and nearly 100 civilian employees took the survey, for an overall response rate of just over 22 percent or 1 in 5 employees.
The majority of the respondents indicated that our commanders are motivated, professional, and work well together. These are areas that I intend to sustain and build upon not just for the leadership but throughout the department. Some respondents indicated that they felt that commanders could do better at communication, morale, and accountability – all areas that have an impact on our retention and hiring – so I pledge to focus our efforts and do better.
The survey results showed that 56% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the senior leadership is effective at managing the department, while 44% percent disagreed or strongly disagreed. This will serve as our baseline.
I have asked the bureau chiefs to meet with their individual commanders to identify what is working well and what areas need improvement. Some changes have already been implemented. To ensure that these efforts are not in vain, I will continue using surveys and making personal visits to all elements with the goal of improving communication and morale.
I appreciate everyone who participated in the survey. The results are important to furthering my understanding of the issues and concerns of our employees throughout the department. Most of the comments were civil and professional. A small number were personal attacks that were inappropriate and not conducive to improving the department.
I will be spending more time in the field meeting with employees, as will the other chiefs. While video logs have been effective in some ways, they’re not a substitute for face-to-face conversation.
I know that building trust takes time, and I hope that the survey is the first step toward building an even better department.
Aloha and stay safe.
DISCLAIMER:
The survey is being published with certain redactions in compliance with Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 92F, Sections 92F-13(1) and (3). Redactions were made of the following: specific names of individuals (except for Chief Logan); information that tends to give away tactics and/or that compromises police operations if disclosed; and information that tends to identify survey participants. Profanity has not been redacted.
As you read the survey and comments, please keep the following in mind:
- Please do not assume that the current personnel/commanders were in place when the survey was given. Personnel are moved, reassigned, and transferred at various times during the year. Comments about commanders may not be applicable to the current command.
- Comments submitted are the opinions of the survey participant and are not necessarily the position of the HPD.
- All comments alleging possible misconduct or impropriety were reviewed and investigated where possible. Some comments lacked specific information which makes it difficult to investigate. To address those situations, we have encouraged HPD personnel to contact PSO with additional information.