Dispatchers at the Honolulu Police Department are being forced to work overtime because of short staffing.

Some 911 callers are waiting as long as 20 minutes to ask for help. Employees face “vitriol and verbal abuse” from supervisors.

The allegations were outlined in a two-page letter delivered to the Honolulu City Council on Thursday from the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

HPD currently has 456 vacant police officer positions and 188 civilian employee openings as of May 1. Making up more than a quarter of the vacant civilian positions are Police Communications Officer I and II, also known as dispatchers.

A Communications Officer I earns a minimum of $4,409 a month and up to $6,526. The officer II position starts at $4,766 and climbs as high as $7,058.

Operating with 35% of

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