HONOLULU(KHON2) — Waianae residents say they’re tired of getting the short end of the stick. The frustration coming from the still incomplete multi-million dollar Waianae Police Station. So what’s the hold up?
The $16 million Waianae Police Station, built back in 2016, remains unfinished and underutilized, and residents are frustrated
“This is historically the story of Waianae. We are told that this is what we’re gonna get and it doesn’t happen,” Waianae Neighborhood Board Chair Tiana Wilbur said. “We always end up carrying the load or getting the short end of the stick.”
The police union said it is a concern.
“We support the idea of opening the station,” SHOPO Honolulu Chapter Chair Jonathan Frye said. “Waianae deserves to have that station, the community deserves to have to have a dedicated police force to be there to protect the community and to serve all of their needs.”
In a statement the Honolulu Police Department spokesperson said:
“HPD is continuing to work with the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services and Department of Design and Construction on the completion of the second floor. The work is expected to cost nearly $2 million.”
There is some progress.
“Three hundred thousand was released per the Mayor’s order and so they are installing air con in the second floor, which actually you know the whole second floor wasn’t finished,” Honolulu City Council member Andria Tupola explained. “So that’s a good first step. But what we really want to see is all of that to get furnished and that actual detective offices or maybe specialty positions start to use the station.”
According to Tupola, the station is currently used for some basic police operations.
“They can process arrestees but they can’t hold them there cause there’s only one officer per shift in the station,” Tupola said.
Even if the second floor is completed, SHOPO said there is a much bigger problem halting the the creation of District 9.
“It’s kind of the same problem we’ve been seeing all along, you cannot staff, a station without people,” SHOPO Honolulu Chapter Chair Jonathan Frye explained. “And so we’re having a problem. And it’s a staffing crisis.”
According to Frye, two years ago police department vacancies were at 329. He said they are now over 400.
“It’s only gotten worse,” he said.
Even with HPDs new $25,000 hiring incentive program, things may not get better, because it’s not just about recruitment, it’s also about retention.
“We’re at a point now where we lose more officers every single year than we gain,” Frye explained.
Tupola said finding a way to keep seasoned officers in the force longer could help solve the staffing crisis and get the Waianae Police Station fully operational.
“It needs to be complete for us to prosper in the community. Especially when it comes to public safety,” Wilbur said.
Tupola said she is hoping the second floor will be completed by the end of the year, which will give officers a space to use ultimately creating more police presence in the area.