HPD overtime for Obama visit totals $341,216
ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Barack Obama tipped his hat to the crowd after finishing a round of golf at Mid-Pacific Country Club during his family vacation on Dec. 28 in Kailua, Hawaii.
The overtime tab at the Honolulu Police Department for President Barack Obama’s holiday vacation was $341,216 this year, an increase over the previous two years.
The amount expended for overtime during the president’s two-week visit from Dec. 19 to Jan. 3 was released today by HPD.
The figure is up from last year’s total of $277,585. Police racked up $293,731.99 in overtime on the previous winter vacation.
The president spent much of his time on Oahu on the golf course, as is typical for his annual trips to Hawaii. The first family also spent time hiking and on beach excursions, and had several dinners at some of Hawaii’s top restaurants.
The first family’s vacation rental is located in Kailua. His sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, lives on Oahu, and his trips home also often include visits to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, where the president’s grandfather Stanley Dunham is buried; and to the East-West Center, with which Obama’s and Soetoro-Ng’s mother, anthropologist S. Ann Dunham, was long affiliated.
20 responses to “HPD overtime for Obama visit totals $341,216”
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Why is that a lot to protect the leader of our country?
Agreed. At least for this City expenditure we know how much its going to cost.
The taxpayers of a single city should not be responsible for footing the bill of the security for the President of the country. The federal government should reimburse the city for all of the costs Honolulu incurred to have to cater to the President’s personal vacation. Just because you’re the President shouldn’t mean you get to fly all around the country, stay wherever you please, and expect the locals to pamper and protect you. In an ideal world, he’d pay for his own security when he goes on a pleasure trip. But if anyone ought to pay, then it should be the federal government since he’s a federal official.
Actually the President does pay for lodging, but the government picks up the security and Air Force 1 tab.
I agrre, but maybe he should pay!
In fact, it’s not, especially considering that OT for the city and county in 2013 was $50 million.
http://khon2.com/2014/11/06/overtime-abuse-allows-some-public-employees-to-double-triple-their-salaries/
This is the time our state senators need to take the helm and reverse charges to the Federal government for presidential security services rather than have Hawaii, with it’s limited budget, foot the bill that ultimately comes from the taxpaying community.
This bill along with the overtime charges for the youth correctional facility should be re-visited. Unfortunately, it’ll be evaluated by our ‘Hybrid State’ legislators when they ‘find the time’.
Regarding the “state senators” there’s just one glitch in having them do what you think needs to be done by them…when O shouts “JUMP!!!!”…all the local POls shout in unison….”HOW HIGH!!!!”. I don’t think they want to get out of line.
What an utter waste of taxpayers money.
A waste of taxpayers time & money.
Pity the poor folks stuck in traffic created by his “vacation”.
Wait until he retires and lives in Lanikai full time.
No surprise for the Imperial Presidency of the United States. The office of this ELECTED official has grown to such power and stature, it is nothing special that security costed taxpayers almost $345k, in fact that is pretty cheap when you really get down to it. There once was a time when the president would answer the White House door himself (Grover Cleveland), but a lot has changed in 130+ years. Nothing to do with President Obama, we as a people have allowed a small minority to channel their interests through this office and the price has to be paid.
I’d prefer Fed Gov’t reimburses Hawaii for the COFA expenses. The President’s security expenses are nothing compared to what we have to pay for the micronesians who moved here due to the Fed law.
it’s time to remove armed security personnel from protection details assigned to presidents, their families and other elected officials in federal, state and city governments.
the heads of each government agency declare that society is safe and there is no need for law abiding citizens to arm themselves for protection.
law enforcement agencies refuse to conduct even their most mundane chores without their side arms and long guns claiming that their job is inherently dangerous and life threatening. at the same time law enforcement leaders deny law abiding citizens the right to bear arms for protection.
law enforcement agencies around the nation should patrol and perform normal duties unarmed as police forces do in great britain, new zealand and other nations.
Thanks for the totally crazy comment.
yes, too nuanced for gruber voters.
That’s right! This whole President of the United States protective services thing is all about your inability to get your hands on a CCW permit. I don’t know what SA editors could be thinking wasting print space on a story about the President when they could be posting stories from “The Armed Citizen” and crying a river for you.
Democrat or Republican President, it is worth every cent to protect our highest ranking commander.
Lots of overtime suggest that the normal staffing is way under par.
Merry Christmas HPD.