Honolulu City Council Policy Resolutions

(Link to original Word Processing Version)

89-340

GUIDELINES FOR THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIVISION OF THE HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT REGARDING THE SOLICITATION OF GIFTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS.

    WHEREAS, the Community Relations Division of the Honolulu Police Department organizes and maintains numerous youth-oriented activities and educational programs; and

    WHEREAS, the Community Relations Division's primary function is not law enforcement, but it is authorized and constituted to provide community services and to promote crime prevention through educational awareness programs; and

    WHEREAS, two very important and successful community programs under the Community Relations Division are the Police Activities League (PAL) program which provides organized sports programs throughout the year to boys and girls living in various Oahu communities and the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program which provides anti-drug classes to fifth graders in public and private schools; and

    WHEREAS, since the Dare program is run entirely in-house, the Community Relations Division relies primarily upon the generous gifts and contributions from individuals and corporations to support the Dare program and also to supplement the City funding of the Pal program; and

    WHEREAS, Resolution 86-298 provides guidelines regarding the solicitation and receipt of gifts by the City and its executive agencies and effectively prohibits members of the Honolulu Police Department and its Community Relations Division from actively soliciting gifts and contributions from the community to support the youth programs; and

    WHEREAS, the intent of this Resolution is to set forth guidelines under which the Community Relations Division may work with volunteer organizations which will solicit gifts and contributions to support the Division's PAL and DARE youth programs in particular and the Division's community programs in general; and

    WHEREAS, enabling the Community Relations Division of the Honolulu Police Department to work with volunteer organizations is necessary for the continued success of the youth programs and has the salutary benefit of allowing the Division to establish direct community support and participation; and

    WHEREAS, the purpose and intent of this Resolution is justified in light of the benefits to be received by our youths and our community and is in keeping with the requirements of Resolution 86-298 and the Ethics Commission's Guidelines on Gifts since neither the Honolulu Police Department nor its Community Relations Division will be actively soliciting gifts and contributions from the community; now, therefore,

    BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City and County of Honolulu that consistent with the purposes of Resolution 86-298, the Council hereby sets forth specific guidelines for the Community Relations Division of the Honolulu Police Department, as specified in this Resolution, to work with volunteer organizations which will solicit gifts and contributions for the Division's youth and community programs:

        1. That the Community Relations Division of the Honolulu Police Department, shall be allowed to work with volunteer organizations which will solicit gifts and contributions from individuals, community organizations, and profit or nonprofit corporations for the sole purpose of supporting the youth and community programs in the manner set forth below;

        2. That this Resolution shall satisfy the requirements of subparagraph 2a of Resolution 86-298 regarding prior Council approval before soliciting gifts and contributions and submitting public notice in a newspaper of general circulation;

and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council does hereby authorize the Community Relations Division of the Honolulu Police Department to work with volunteer organizations which will solicit gifts and contributions for the PAL and DARE youth programs and other community programs subject to the Division's compliance with the following conditions:

        1. Only the Division Commander of the Community Relations Division and the respective supervising officers in charge of the youth and community programs shall be allowed to present the program needs to the volunteer organization and only members of the volunteer organization shall be allowed to solicit gifts and contributions for the respective programs in the manner set forth below:

            a. The division commander or supervising officer of the respective community program shall be allowed to meet directly with the coordinator or head of the volunteer organization and shall only present the nature and scope of the respective community program.

            b. Only members of the volunteer organization shall contact potential donors to solicit gifts and contributions for the respective community program.

            c. The division commander shall advise the voluntary organization in writing to primarily solicit goods and services for the youth and community programs; provided, however, should monetary gifts be received, the voluntary organization shall be requested to receive such monetary gifts in the form of bank checks made payable to the City Director of Finance and earmarked for the respective Division's youth or community program.

            d. The division commander shall further inform the volunteer organization in writing that prospective donors with contracts or applications pending before the City shall not be solicited and that gifts and contributions from such donors shall be returned. In this regard, the volunteer organization shall be requested to maintain a record of all such gifts, contributions, and pledges received and to transmit such record to the division commander of the Community Relations Division for examination.

            e. The division commander shall ensure that the division commander's and/or supervising officer's normal work duties do not directly affect the members of the volunteer organization and that the members of the volunteer organization do not have any contracts or applications pending before the City.

            f. The Community Relations Division shall work with the Ethics Commission to develop additional written guidelines for approaching and presenting the community program needs to the volunteer organization.

        2. The Community Relations Division shall be required to obtain the Council's approval of all gifts, pursuant to paragraph 3 or 4 of Resolution 86-298, whichever isapplicable based on the value of the gift, and shall ensure that the gift or contribution is properly maintained, secured, and protected in such manner so as to enable the Division to return the proposed gift or contribution should the Council decide not to accept the gift;

        3. Monetary gifts which are accepted by the Council shall be deposited into the General Trust Fund and be administered in accordance with Chapter 5, Article 7, of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu;

        4. Nothing in this Resolution shall be deemed to exempt the Honolulu Police Department and its Community Relations Division from any provision, requirement, guideline, or standard as may be established by the Managing Director or Ethics Commission for the conduct of City employees, including but not limited to, the standards of conduct to ensure that the receipt of any gift or contribution on behalf of the City shall not give the appearance of influencing or impairing the judgment of the Honolulu Police Department in the performance of its official duties;

        5. These provisions shall apply except where more restrictive ordinances, rules, or administrative policies are in effect;

and


    BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED by the Council of the City and County of Honolulu that the Clerk is hereby authorized to transmit copies of this Resolution to the Mayor and the Chief of Police.

                            INTRODUCED BY:

                            Rene Mansho

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                             Councilmembers

DATE OF INTRODUCTION:

July 19, 1989
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Honolulu, Hawaii

ADOPTED this 26 day of July , 1989.

(OCS/052589/ec)


Policy Resolutions