Employees of the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) are frequently required to travel on official business to accomplish their assigned duties. When official travel is required to enable employees to attend schools/conferences/seminars/meetings, extradite prisoners, conduct investigations, testify in court, or accomplish any other purpose, the employees shall comply with the requirements herein.
Captains and above and their civilian equivalents may be exempt from certain sections of this policy based on the Fair Labor Standards Act.
APPROVAL REQUIRED
All travel requests require the written approval of the Chief of Police.
TRAVEL GUIDELINES
A. All travel shall serve to enhance essential departmental services to the community.
B. Funds shall be secured and approved before the travel can be authorized.
C. Arrangements shall be made so that travel and related activities are economical and efficient.
D. Arrangements shall be made so that traveling is via the most direct route available.
E. Travel arrangements (e.g., flight dates, times, and destinations) made through the department shall only be altered with prior authorization from the Finance Division or due to extenuating circumstances (e.g., natural disaster and change in national threat level).
F. Any official work to be performed outside the authorized activity hours requires prior approval by the division commander or Chief of Police.
G. All travel activities shall be in conformance with the city charter and pertinent sections of the administrative directive manual; current finance circulars; federal, state, and city statutes; and applicable collective bargaining agreements. Examples of such conformance are described below:
1. When traveling to and from a neighbor island on the same day without staying overnight, time spent traveling (i.e., flight and ground travel on the neighbor island) for the authorized activity shall be counted as hours worked;
2. On overnight trips, time spent outside an employee’s regular work hours shall not be counted as hours worked if the employee:
a) Spent the time as a passenger on a airplane, train, boat, or other vehicle; or
b) Was not required to perform work relating to the trip’s authorized activities.
H. Sworn officers of the HPD shall abide by the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) regulations titled “Carriage of accessible weapons” and “Carriage of prisoners under the control of armed law enforcement officers” (refer to the attachment). They shall also abide by this directive when carrying firearms on common commercial carriers.
TRAVEL PROCESS
A. If the travel is to be funded by or through the city, the traveler shall first check with the Finance Division to verify that funds are available to cover the estimated cost of the trip.
B. The travel requestor shall complete the Preliminary Travel Request (PTR) form; the form can be obtained through the “Finance” website on the HPD intranet. This form is not required for captains and above and their civilian equivalents who travel.
C. The PTR form shall be reviewed by the division-level commander for applicability, compliance, cost analysis, alternative solution (e.g., bringing a trainer to Oahu), and recommended disposition.
D. If the division-level commander recommends approval, the PTR form shall be scanned and attached to the Request for Travel Authorization (RTA) e-form.
E. A travel coordinator shall be designated when more than one person is traveling. A bureau chief shall designate a travel coordinator when personnel from different bureaus are traveling. A division-level commander shall designate a coordinator when personnel within a division-level element are traveling. The travel coordinator shall ensure that:
a. All of the necessary personnel (e.g., extraditions which may require multidivisional personnel or an intelligence conference involving numerous investigative divisions) are promptly assigned; and
b. The assigned personnel’s completed PTR forms are scanned and attached to the RTA e-form.
F. The RTA e-form and its related documents shall be reviewed in its entirety by the traveler’s commanding officer, bureau chief, the Finance Division, and the Administrative Bureau.
G. The RTA e-form and its recommended disposition shall be forwarded to the Chief of Police for review and approval.
H. Once authorization to travel has been granted by the Chief of Police, the Finance Division shall prepare the Travel Request, M-6 form. The Finance Division shall also ensure that travel requests that require approvals from other agencies/departments are processed accordingly.
I. To ensure that a traveler’s per diem and registration fee can be processed, the approved RTA e-form shall be submitted so that it is received by the Finance Division no less than 30 days before the travel date.
J. Travel Request forms that require the approval of the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services, Managing Director, and/or the Mayor shall be submitted to the Chief of Police no less than 45 days before the proposed travel date.
TRAVEL EVALUATION REPORT
A. The Travel Evaluation Report, HPD-533 form, must be submitted by each traveler via the chain of command to the Training Committee Coordinator within 30 days after returning from official travel regardless of the funding source. Each report shall be unique to the traveler; copies from cotravelers will not be accepted. The report form shall contain the following information:
1. Description of the conference or event for which travel is requested (50 words or less);
2. Location of the conference or event;
3. Length (dates and times) of the conference or event;
4. Description of three new ideas learned during the conference or event, which will help the attendee perform his or her job better (100 words or less);
5. Description of how the attendee intends to implement these three new ideas and what time frame is needed for implementation (100 words or less); and
6. An attached copy of the course completion certificate if one is provided by the training course.
Exclusion for submitting the Travel Evaluation Report include depositions, professional certifications or licenses, extraditions, investigations, mission assignments, and collective bargaining negotiations.
B. The following forms and documents shall be attached to the Summary of Total Travel Expenditures e-form and the Statement of Completed Travel, DF-59 form, for submittal to the Finance Division within 30 days after returning from the official travel regardless of the funding source:
1. Course completion certificate (certificate of attendance and/or completion of training);
2. Travel documents (expenses); and
3. Travel Evaluation Report.
A copy of the Travel Evaluation Report shall also be forwarded to the Training Division in order to notate the training on the individual’s training record card along with copies of certificates of attendance and/or completion of training.
C. Failure to submit the required travel forms along with the required documentation shall result in the denial of future travel requests and will delay the reimbursement of excess travel expenses.
D. When travel costs are to be reimbursed by another agency, the traveler shall meet all of the requirements (e.g., documents and deadlines) stipulated by that agency.
E. The Administrative Review Board may request a presentation on any official travel-related activity from an employee.
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
A. Air Transportation
1. The traveler shall be scheduled to arrive at the out-of-state destination (applicable airport) in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreement.
2. The travel route shall be the most direct and economical available to the business destination.
3. More than one commercial carrier may be used if there is a cost advantage.
4. A traveler may check in as early as 60 minutes (with no check-in items) and 90 minutes (with check-in items) before the scheduled flight time. Exceptions may be made under extenuating circumstances (e.g., natural disaster and change in national threat level).
B. Ground Transportation
1. Public transportation shall be the primary mode of transportation (bus, shuttle service, taxi, etc.) to and from the airport, hotel, and/or other authorized activity.
2. Automobile rentals shall require justification relating to the distance, frequency, and cost effectiveness.
a. Approval to rent an automobile shall be received from the Finance Division prior to the travel date.
b. The size and type of automobile that is authorized shall be based on the most cost effective way to accommodate authorized travelers. Upgrading this accommodation shall be at the traveler’s expense.
c. No automobile insurance, such as personal collision, personal effects, or supplemental liability insurance, shall be purchased for the authorized rental. Purchase of collision or a loss deductive waiver is permitted only under the following situations:
1) Driving outside of the state of Hawaii; and
2) Conditions of the rental are financially advantageous as approved by the Finance Division.
3. Reimbursement for the Automobile Rental
a. One of the requirements for reimbursement is that the original receipt must be made in the approved traveler’s name: spouse or companion name will not be accepted.
b. Only the cost of gasoline expended for the authorized activity of the travel will be reimbursed. The original receipts must be submitted to qualify for reimbursement.
c. The employee’s time while driving for the authorized activity is considered work time.
C. Lodging Accommodations
1. All reservations shall be made through the authorized travel agency with the following exceptions:
a. Use of a designated conference hotel (see section below) and/or training facility; or
b. Cost of another hotel in the immediate area that is less than the lodging allowance.
2. Excess Lodging
a. To request and claim excess lodging reimbursement, the authorized travel agency must be used when making hotel reservations.
b. Justification is required to arrange for excess lodging accommodations.
c. Approval to proceed with the excess lodging must be received from the Finance Division prior to the travel date.
3. Designated Conference Hotel
a. The conference organizer will sometimes designate an official conference hotel(s) with a negotiated rate and number of reserved rooms. The hotel(s) must be listed as a designated hotel in the conference information literature. Hotels in the surrounding area that are listed with government rates do not automatically qualify as conference hotels.
b. Travelers may be required to make the hotel arrangements directly with the hotel.
4. One of the requirements for reimbursement is that the original receipt must be made in the approved traveler’s name: spouse or companion name will not be accepted.
FIREARMS ON COMMON COMMERCIAL CARRIERS
A. When Carrying a Firearm is Required
1. All requests to carry firearms on commercial air carriers require the prior approval of the Chief of Police.
2. Personnel requesting authorization to carry a firearm on a commercial air carrier must successfully complete the Law Enforcement Officers Flying Armed training program.
3. When an officer’s official assignment requires that a weapon be accessible in the cabin/passenger compartment of a common commercial carrier, the officer shall notify a responsible representative of the air carrier of that fact as far in advance as possible–see the attachment.
4. The officer shall carry the following:
a. The original/official letter, HPD-55JJ form, which has been appropriately signed. The officer shall carry an adequate number of copies of the letter to provide one to each carrier on each leg of the trip;
b. A document that states the general nature of the assignment and the need to be armed;
c. A verified copy of the Law Enforcement Officers Flying Armed training program certificate;
d. The official HPD identification card with a full-face photograph of the officer; and
e. The HPD badge.
B. Transporting a Firearm in Luggage
1. In some cases, an officer may not be required to be armed while traveling in the passenger compartment of a common commercial carrier but wishes to carry a firearm or is required to be armed for another leg of the trip. In such cases, the officer shall ensure that all requirements of the airline he or she is using are fulfilled in a timely manner.
2. The firearm shall be unloaded and transported in the luggage/freight compartment of the carrier.