09-16-2013, 02:31 PM
First, they don't get rich off of it. Yes they get oil and gas that has to match up with their daily mileage which is recorded at the beginning and end of each shift, they do NOT get gas and oil for their personal use. It was determined to start a fleet of police cars instead of subsidizing would cost MILLIONS of dollars, plus the employees to maintain them all. 90% of arrested people are transported in their personal car, its the 10% that even you would not pick up that they call for the Blue and White, which btw is often being used by an officer that either does not have a vehicle yet, or theirs is in the shop, so it does not usually take another officer off of the street.
They also run up huge amounts of mileage, the vehicles have to be specific and the highest rated engine for that vehicle and meet transportation of prisoner requirements. Many of these things are not available in a cheaper car, so they have to buy an approved vehicle which is then torn apart to put in all the electronics for the radio and lights. Would you like having your brand new car torn up with holes drilled all over for work, to haul around a drunk driver or someone who was to dirty to take a bath or use a toilet? Its a trade off that saves the county taxpayers a lot of money, not really a perk in the end.
As far as police being used on road construction, they are on off duty hours (and many are voluntary reserve officers or retired reserve officers that are required to do so many non paid reserve hours of police work to qualify for this), and being paid as a choice between them or security guards specifically trained for traffic control by the contractor. Its often cheaper for the contractor to hire off duty police, and never takes a single officer off of the streets. In fact, if there is no off duty officer available, the contractor is forced to use security, which puts them at higher liability.
Keep in mind, the salary for officers in the mainland is far higher in many places than it is in Hawaii. That is the reason so many police agencies nation wide come to Hawaii to try to hire away officers. Here they are trained to take a case from beginning to end including the investigation, CSI work etc., not the mainland, they just call the detectives and crime scene units, even on a simple burglary.
They also run up huge amounts of mileage, the vehicles have to be specific and the highest rated engine for that vehicle and meet transportation of prisoner requirements. Many of these things are not available in a cheaper car, so they have to buy an approved vehicle which is then torn apart to put in all the electronics for the radio and lights. Would you like having your brand new car torn up with holes drilled all over for work, to haul around a drunk driver or someone who was to dirty to take a bath or use a toilet? Its a trade off that saves the county taxpayers a lot of money, not really a perk in the end.
As far as police being used on road construction, they are on off duty hours (and many are voluntary reserve officers or retired reserve officers that are required to do so many non paid reserve hours of police work to qualify for this), and being paid as a choice between them or security guards specifically trained for traffic control by the contractor. Its often cheaper for the contractor to hire off duty police, and never takes a single officer off of the streets. In fact, if there is no off duty officer available, the contractor is forced to use security, which puts them at higher liability.
Keep in mind, the salary for officers in the mainland is far higher in many places than it is in Hawaii. That is the reason so many police agencies nation wide come to Hawaii to try to hire away officers. Here they are trained to take a case from beginning to end including the investigation, CSI work etc., not the mainland, they just call the detectives and crime scene units, even on a simple burglary.