Council committee advances resolution urging school resource officers at Oahu public high schools

The Committee on Public Safety and Customer Services on Feb. 13 advanced a resolution urging the Honolulu Police Department and the Department of Education to enter an agreement assigning school resource officers to public high schools.

Committee members said the measure is intended as a preventative safety program and noted the resolution’s sponsors have already discussed pilot steps with police and DOE officials. Council member Tupole, who introduced the resolution, said the school resource officer (SRO) program “exists on all the islands except for ours” and described steps to hire contract retirees on short-term, 89‑day contracts so the program would not “take patrol officers off the road.”

Supporters said the SRO model used on other islands focuses on relationship-building and youth training rather than primarily on arrests. Captain Neil Han of the Honolulu Police Department told the committee, “HPD will always be in favor of anything that provides more safety measures for our public schools,” while also warning staffing and funding details must be resolved. Paul Ayo, a Nanakuli resident and retired law-enforcement officer speaking for Maile-Nanakuli Neighborhood Board 36, said he endorsed the resolution based on prior SRO experience.

Public testimony from community organizations and residents highlighted both safety needs and expectations for the program’s role. Christina Everett of Project Nehemiah and Angela “Melody” Young, founder of CARES, said an on-campus authority presence could improve behavior and increase reporting and support. Everett testified that an authority presence “can increase rates of obedience” and that the group supported the resolution. The committee also heard from school and community advocates who urged integration of SROs with counselors, trauma-informed practices and safeguards for students’ rights.

Committee members pressed staff and HPD on program design, including whether SROs would be uniformed, their daily duties, and how they would coordinate with existing Community Policing Team efforts. Captain Han said details remain to be worked out and that the department is examining multiple staffing options, including retirees and retired-officer contract hires, and that the Department of Law Enforcement (state) will need to be involved for state-managed schools.

Several council members said the resolution is a targeted, district-driven pilot: Council member Tupole said DOE would sign a memorandum of understanding and stated the sponsor expects implementation by the start of the next school year in the pilot location. Other members stressed the need for accompanying investments in mental-health and student support services and expressed interest in expanding campus supports beyond police presence.

The chair recommended the resolution be reported out for adoption, and, with no objections, the committee moved it forward.

The committee record shows discussion and community testimony but does not contain final contract terms, a detailed funding plan, or an executed MOU. The resolution calls for HPD and DOE to “enter into an agreement” and the committee’s action is a recommendation to advance the resolution to the full council.

Members, next steps and context: the council will receive the committee report and any amendments at a future full-council meeting. Committee members asked staff to continue coordinating with HPD and DOE on funding sources and the certification process for SROs, and several members said they plan follow-up visits to island programs that already operate SROs to observe implementation.

Votes at committee: the chair recommended that the resolution be reported out for adoption; no objections were recorded and the recommendation was ordered.