Office of Information Practices

Opinion Letter No. 91-26
December 13, 1991
Information about Police Officers

[OIP Op. Ltr. No. 05-03 partially overrules this opinion to the extent that it states or implies that the UIPA’s privacy exception in section 92F-13(1), HRS, either prohibits public disclosure or mandates confidentiality.]

The following information concerning county police department officers who are not “undercover” officers must be made publicly available upon request: name, salary range, period of credited service, and accumulated vacation and sick leave. On the other hand, the OIP also concluded that county police departments or other agencies are not required to disclose a civil service employee’s average salary in the employee’s highest three earning years, or their age.

Significantly, in this opinion, the OIP examined the legislative history of section 92F-12(a)(14), Hawaii Revised Statutes, and concluded that as to civil service employees, the Legislature intended that only such employees’ salary ranges should be publicly disclosed upon request, and not their exact salaries.

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