Island law enforcement agencies face a workforce crisis that standard recruitment and retention interventions cannot address because those interventions were designed for continental labor markets. The real driver is the island cost-of-living gap — and the interventions that address it are not currently standard practice.
Abstract
Foundational research on law enforcement workforce challenges in island communities. Documents why continental workforce interventions fail in island labor markets and proposes island-specific alternatives addressing the real compensation gap driving departure. All ISPI research is free under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
Key Findings
HPD reported 448 vacant sworn positions as of February 2, 2026 (interim Chief Vanic, budget testimony)
Hawaii's prices run about 10 percent above the national average (BEA regional price parity 109.95, 2024), so nominal pay comparisons understate the gap
ISPI proposes housing assistance, service-linked student loan relief, and cost-of-living supplements indexed to regional price data, to be tested by a retention study
Summary of the paper
"Public Safety Workforce Policy for Island and High Cost-of-Living Communities" examines why Hawaii police agencies carry persistent vacancies and which compensation tools could help retain officers.
It draws on public vacancy reporting (448 vacant HPD sworn positions as of February 2, 2026), the IACP's 2024 national recruitment and retention survey, and BEA regional price data.
What the paper finds
- Vacancies are large and persistent. HPD reported 448 vacant sworn positions in February 2026; Maui Police Department reported 154 vacancies, including 81 sworn positions, in April 2026.
- Costs are high. BEA puts Hawaii's 2024 regional price parity at 109.95, about 10 percent above the national average.
- Federal formulas do not adjust for prices. Byrne JAG allocations are based on population and violent crime.
- Targeted tools, in ISPI's analysis, such as housing assistance and service-linked loan relief, address departure decisions more directly than across-the-board raises; a retention study should test this.
What it recommends
- Hawaii Legislature: housing assistance and service-linked student loan relief for officers.
- Congress: study a regional price adjustment for federal law enforcement grants.
- County police commissions: consider indexed cost-of-living supplements and commission a retention cohort study.
Who it's for
Legislators, county police commissions, police leadership, and public safety workforce planners.
Pacific Island national police forces may face similar cost-of-living pressures at smaller scale, in ISPI's analysis.
Cite as
Pulley, Warren (2026). Public Safety Workforce Policy for Island and High Cost-of-Living Communities: Addressing the Structural Recruitment and Retention Crisis in Island Law Enforcement (ISPI WP-05). Island Security Policy Institute, Honolulu. https://ispiglobal.com/papers-landing/wp05-law-enforcement-workforce https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23449794
BibTeX
@techreport{ispiwp052026,
author = {Pulley, Warren},
title = {Public Safety Workforce Policy for Island and High Cost-of-Living Communities: Addressing the Structural Recruitment and Retention Crisis in Island Law Enforcement},
institution = {Island Security Policy Institute},
address = {Honolulu, HI},
number = {ISPI WP-05},
year = {2026},
url = {https://ispiglobal.com/papers-landing/wp05-law-enforcement-workforce},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23449794}
}Related Research
HI-03 — Law Enforcement Workforce Hawaii →PB-12 — Hawaii Law Enforcement Recruitment →PB-13 — Training Gap Island Law Enforcement →Related analysis
AnalysisHonolulu Has a New Police Chief. He Has Never Lived in Hawaii. →AnalysisThe Island Law Enforcement Workforce Crisis Is Not a Hawaii Problem →AnalysisWhy Island Police Departments Face Structural Officer Shortages That Continental Solutions Cannot Fix →PaperWP-04 — Campus Safety for Geographically Isolated Institutions →PaperWP-06 — Supply Chain Security and Community Resilience in Island Communities →GuideHawaii Law Enforcement Workforce & Recruitment: Research and FAQ →Pulley, Warren. "Law Enforcement Workforce Policy in Island Communities." Island Security Policy Institute, 2026. https://ispiglobal.com/papers-landing/wp05-law-enforcement-workforce
