The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) safeguards its officers from impartiality by establishing procedures to disclose and account for potential conflict of interests in the performance of their law enforcement duties.
The HPD is committed to upholding the public’s trust in treatment that is unbiased and uninfluenced by officers’ relationships, associations, etc., with persons they serve.

Toward this end, officers shall be attentive to and held accountable for disclosing known relationships (e.g., familial, friendship, financial/business association, etc.) with anyone involved in a case to which they are assigned. In addition, such disclosures and consequential actions shall be documented. Officers and supervisors shall consider how likely the intimacy and/or circumstances of a relationship will affect their impartiality or present the appearance of impartiality.

A. Patrol and Investigative Officers

1. When officers become aware of a relationship they have with someone who is involved in a case to which they have been assigned, they shall immediately notify their direct supervisor with a description of the relationship.

2. Upon being informed, the supervisor shall provide direction to the officer on how to proceed (e.g., handle the assignment, abstain, or other actions). The direction shall be based on how likely the relationship will be or appear to be a conflict of interest with the assignment.

B. Documentation

Supervisors shall generate a Miscellaneous Public or Follow-up report for any case that they are notified of that involves a potential conflict of interest situation. The report shall document details of the information they received, their direction to the subordinate, and reason(s) for the direction.

In emergency situations, officers shall perform their duties without delay. Notification to supervisors and documentation as outlined above shall then be done as soon as safe and practicable.
All sworn personnel shall receive annual conflict-of-interest training.