Honolulu Police Department Policies: Standards of Conduct and Critical Incident Protocol

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Honolulu Police Department Standards of Conduct (Policy 2.21) and Officer Critical Incident Protocol (Policy 4.49), including disciplinary classes, personnel definitions, reporting requirements, and incident response procedures.

Chief of Police Qualification Requirements

A mandatory qualification requiring a minimum of five years of training and experience in law enforcement work, at least three years of which must have been in a responsible administrative capacity.

Standards of Conduct Applicability

The requirement that Honolulu Police Department officers are subject to all departmental standards, directives, orders, and procedures at all times, whether on or off duty, including all periods of authorized or unauthorized absence.

Oath of Office

A sworn or affirmed pledge administered to all employees before entering service to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Hawaii, and to faithfully discharge duties.

Preponderance of Evidence

The evidentiary standard required to establish a violation of law, ordinance, rule, or departmental order sufficient to justify disciplinary action under the Standards of Conduct.

Class A Standards

The most serious category of conduct violations under HPD Policy 2.21, carrying disciplinary penalties ranging from a minimum of a ten-working-day suspension to a maximum of dismissal.

Class B Standards

A disciplinary category of conduct violations under HPD Policy 2.21, carrying penalties ranging from a minimum of a five-working-day suspension to a maximum of dismissal.

Class C Standards

A disciplinary category of conduct violations under HPD Policy 2.21, carrying penalties ranging from a minimum of a one-working-day suspension to a maximum of dismissal.

Class D Standards

A disciplinary category of conduct violations under HPD Policy 2.21, carrying penalties ranging from a minimum of a written reprimand to a maximum of a ten-working-day suspension.

Class E Standards

The lowest classification of conduct violations under HPD Policy 2.21, carrying a maximum disciplinary penalty of a five-working-day suspension.

Repetitious Violations

Three or more conduct violations occurring within a span of 12 months for which disciplinary action is imposed, constituting grounds for dismissal.

Form HPD-121

The Notice of Disciplinary Action form issued to an employee for any suspension or written reprimand, requiring receipt acknowledgment across four duplicate copies.

Form HPD-259

The official Resignation form that an employee must sign and submit to the Chief of Police through official channels at least 14 days prior to the effective date of voluntary resignation.

Superior Officer

Any officer holding the rank of captain or above, or the civilian equivalent, including individuals temporarily assigned to those positions.

Supervisory Personnel

Any officer holding the rank of sergeant, detective, or above, or the civilian equivalent, including individuals temporarily assigned to those positions.

Division-Level Commander

A commander holding the rank of major or below who reports directly to an assistant chief or an officer of higher rank.

Separability Clause

A provision stating that if any portion of the Standards of Conduct conflicts with a law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or union contract, the latter takes precedence while all non-conflicting sections remain in full force.

Actor Officer

Any officer who discharges a firearm toward a subject, whose act is a proximate cause of fatal or serious bodily injury, or who intends an act to cause fatal or serious bodily injury to a person killed or injured by a third party.

Critical Incident Involving HPD Police Officer(s)

An event occurring in Hawaii in which an officer acting under color of official authority discharges a firearm at a subject, is involved as an actor or custodial officer when death or serious bodily injury occurs, or sustains death or serious bodily injury.

Firearm (Policy 4.49)

A weapon utilizing an explosive as its operating force, such as pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, and automatic firearms, specifically excluding weapons discharging less-lethal or noxious gas projectiles.

Proximate Cause (Policy 4.49)

Something that, in a natural or continuous sequence, produces fatal or serious bodily injury, and without which the injury would not have occurred, evaluated without regard to foreseeability solely to decide protocol applicability.

Public Safety Statement

A compelled statement obtained immediately after a critical incident from an actor officer by a scene supervisor using the standardized HPD-252B form.

Form HPD-252B

A 4-1/4" by 5-1/2" card containing specific, standardized questions read verbatim to an actor officer by the scene supervisor to compel critical public safety information without union or legal delay.

Scene Supervisor

The first uninvolved, on-scene supervisor holding the rank of sergeant or above during a critical incident.

Serious Bodily Injury

Bodily injury that creates a substantial risk of death, or causes serious permanent disfigurement, or causes protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.

Witness Officer

Any officer who is present in the immediate area at the time of a critical incident and is considered a witness.

Administrative Review Board (ARB)

The departmental body to which the investigative report and findings of an administrative review or Professional Standards Office investigation of a critical incident are submitted.

Critical Incident Administrative Leave

Relief from field duty of up to three working days that an actor officer may request and be granted following a critical incident, which shall not be construed as an admission or finding of improper action.

Psychological Debriefing Deadlines

Mandatory evaluation timelines requiring an actor officer to be debriefed by the police psychologist within 48 hours if an incident involved human death, or within 72 hours if no death occurred, prior to returning to full duty.