The Honolulu Police Department presented its FY 2026 budget to the Budget Committee on March 12, asking for an operating budget of $390,467,000 and flagging vehicle and radio replacements, IT upgrades and hiring and retention as the department’s top priorities.

Chief Arthur Logan opened his presentation by giving the overall number: “As you can see in the element of the first slide under FY 2026 at the bottom, the budget there is $390,467,000. That's a 6.5% increase from previous year,” he said.

Equipment and IT needs

The department told the committee the $13.8 million in equipment increases includes a planned $7.5 million P25 radio replacement (the existing system is at end‑of‑life, the chief said) and roughly $6.3 million for patrol vehicle replacements. The department described a typical fully equipped patrol vehicle cost at about $100,000 once radios and equipment are installed; the FY 2026 equipment ask would fund about 63 vehicles under that estimate.

Chief Logan said the department is also budgeting for IT upgrades via leasing arrangements to avoid rapid obsolescence of hardware. On obtaining a digital application system for firearms permits, Logan said the department sought vendors and that quoted costs were roughly a million dollars for a 24/7 online permitting portal; the chief said the department considered DIT solutions but is pursuing an external vendor because of concurrent IT demands.

Recruiting, retention and overtime

Logan listed three priorities for the department: recruiting, reducing violent crime (with a focus on gun violence) and culture change. He said recruiting methods that have produced applicants include current officers’ family and friends, social media advertising and hiring bonuses: “family and friends is the number 1 way we recruit,” he said.

Committee members and the chief discussed hiring and incentive programs at length. Council staff shared preliminary incentive payout figures during the discussion; Chief Logan said the incentive program is showing results but will be assessed as hiring stabilizes. He also explained that civilian vacancies stood at 76 and the department planned to fill 19 by the end of the fiscal year and additional roles in 2026; for uniform recruit classes the department plans multiple academies and expects to bring recruits into service in July and beyond.

Other points raised in committee Q&A

• Vehicle auctions: Chief Logan said retired vehicles are generally auctioned and that some units are repurposed for training; committee members asked for clearer accounting of auction proceeds in revenue statements.

• Federal grants and intergovernmental revenue: The department receives numerous federal grants for specific programs (drug enforcement, homeland security grants, impaired driving enforcement, cybercrime, victim services). Logan said those grants are not guaranteed year to year and the department will reallocate internal funds if necessary when federal funding ends.

• Firearms permitting portal: Committee members pressed on the $1 million figure for an online concealed‑carry and firearms permitting system; Logan said the amount was vendor quoted in the department RFP process and that the city is examining whether fees can be used to offset costs.

Ending

Committee members repeatedly returned to recruitment and retention as an immediate priority. The department emphasized its hiring pipeline and training academies, and said equipment and IT upgrades were intended to modernize critical communications and vehicle fleets while also reducing long‑term maintenance costs.