KPD Chief Perry signs open-ended contract

LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Police Chief Darryl Perry last month signed an open-ended employment contract with the county.

The contract calls for his termination only upon his resignation or retirement, or in the event the county Police Commission determines he breached any terms of the agreement “or loses confidence in your ability to effectively lead the department as reflected in your periodic evaluations.”

The commission offered Perry an open-ended contract three years ago, but Perry opted for a three-year agreement at the time. That contract ended Sept. 30.

The commission ratified the three-page contract (with an attached, three-page job description), at its Sept. 30 meeting, said John Isobe, administrator of the county Boards and Commissions Office.

Isobe said terms and conditions of the contract were discussed in executive session.

But on Friday Perry provided a copy of the entire contract to The Garden Island, asking only that personal information (such as his home address) be kept confidential.

“I am honored and privileged that the Police Commission has renewed my contract, and that they have the confidence in me to lead the department in the right direction,” Perry said in an e-mail.

Sensitive ongoing investigations

The department has several murder investigations underway, and Perry said he feels public frustration about the lack of information provided by KPD regarding these cases.

“I also understand the need in this modern day and age to be as transparent as possible, but in the most-serious investigations which are still underway, sharing of information will have a detrimental impact on the victims and their families,” he said.

“So while the public may believe that KPD is indifferent or not doing our due diligence, nothing could be further from the truth. I look forward to the day when we will be able to share the efforts we are putting into these most-difficult investigations,” he said.

“I will continue to work diligently, alongside our employees, to safeguard this community.”

A professional KPD

“Although there is still a lot more to do in keeping our community free from the fear of crime and to enhance the quality of life on our island home, I am happy to say that, by and large, the community has been overwhelmingly supportive of KPD,” Perry said.

“Without a doubt, they have witnessed positive changes over the past three years in the quality of service provided to our community and the professionalism demonstrated by our employees.

“Make no mistake about it, this is a very difficult job, but because of their commitment and hard work, my job is a lot less stressful.”

Ongoing initiatives

Having the contract out of the way allows Perry to continue to focus on some of KPD’s ongoing initiatives.

“We are still working on the accreditation process, moving toward building new police substations in Waimea and Kawaihau (Kapa‘a) districts to replace our current structures, complete the Next Generation Computer Aided Dispatch Systems, establish a redundant Communications Center in case our main dispatch center becomes inoperable, install our mobile-data terminals — computers in our vehicles — as soon as possible, correct deficiencies at our main police headquarters, fill sworn and vacant civilian positions, enhance our K-PAL (Kaua‘i Police Activities League) and Explorers’ youth programs, advance our community-outreach contacts with businesses and local communities, form task forces to address crime trends and dangerous-traffic situations by identifying hot spots, and continue to infiltrate the drug-trafficking organizations here on Kaua‘i and throughout the state,” he said.

Perry continues to make $107,335 a year, the same as other county department heads but between $6,000 and $21,000 less annually than the police chiefs in the other counties, and less than some of his KPD subordinates because of those KPD officers’ years of service.