Playing Cops And Robbers
In the Honolulu Police Department’s SCI program — not CSI, but simulated crime investigations — volunteers play criminals and victims as recruits take the final exam that makes or breaks careers
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Guy Yoshimoto, a real cop who volunteers at the
training academy, expresses his displeaure at being
questioned by a police recruit, ends up getting
cuffed (below)
is military-style and rigidly structured.
But the training is considered top caliber. Ke Kula Makai is one of the most advanced police training facilities in the country. The high standard established by HPD for its recruits gets national recognition from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. And Honolulu’s graduates are ardently sought after by Mainland agencies.
As volunteer-actor Fedalizo puts it, “I have a lot of respect for our police recruits. It is not easy to qualify.”
It’s not meant to be.
After graduation from the academy, recruits are closely supervised and evaluated in a 20-week field training. Each is assigned to a veteran officer, whose responsibility is to train and evaluate the recruit while working on a beat.
HPD patrol officer Guy Yoshimoto volunteers as an actor on his days off. Having gone through the training, he knows how valuable the SCI sessions are. On the evening we catch his act, he is being robbed at knife-point at an ATM. Sometimes he plays the victim; other times he could be the suspect.
The Pearl City High School grad was attracted to law enforcement because “it is exciting.” But he says what we see on TV shows is highly dramatized and typical of only 10 percent of routine police work.
“The other 90 percent is paper work,” he says.
Darn, another swashbuckling image of police destroyed by truth.
It’s not actually “paper work” per se. Now police are computer literate and file their reports on laptops with high-speed data transmission. This has greatly expedited the crime reporting and investigation process.
That’s why so much time is spent in report writing drills. After each simulated crime scene, the recruits file a written report and are graded. Their ability to present facts and tell a story is as important as fighting lawlessness.
Sharon Penaluna, HPD dispatcher, is a veteran volunteer actor. She knows the importance of clear and timely communications in police work. Her son is an officer who went through the rigorous recruit training.
“My acting here is to help them to be better police on the street,” she says. “It also gives me a better understanding of what officers go through when handling cases.”
Fellow volunteer Scott Campbell finds his involvement a relief from the routine of his own academic world. He’s a professor-specialist at the University of Hawaii.
As a teacher, he says he sees “the signs of test shock” when recruits are involved in SCI. “I always have empathy for them. I see some recruits come through, and their hands are shaking as they’re writing.
“They’re really nervous and scared, but they conduct themselves professionally. You can’t help them along because they have to think it out themselves. I’m always impressed with how prepared they come,” he says.
“A police officer arriving on a scene doesn’t know what he’s getting into. Maybe it’s someone with a weapon. The psychological strain is great.”
Watching recruits go through spontaneous crime scenarios, one is reminded of the local recruitment campaign that called police work “the dirtiest, roughest, most satisfying job in town.”
Two thousand officers of HPD, who endure the rigors of ongoing training and choose to put their lives on the line every day on the beat, live that vision. They have chosen perhaps the most challenging form of public service that exists.
HPD recently graduated its 153rd class of recruits. Thirty-four officers took the oath of office, dedicating themselves to protect and serve our community. They are now on the streets doing their jobs.
There’s no acting involved from this point. As one recruit put it wistfully, “I just wish all crimes were simulated.”
Interested in being an HPD volunteer actor? Adults are welcome to apply by contacting HPD’s training division at 677-1474.
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