Q.....you speaking my language.

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I think that you have not witnessed first hand the behavior and activities I am talking about. I do not speak of LEO as a whole, only the police I see here in Kona and including also others on the island.  There is no argument for the dept. They want the subsidized cars. The financial argument is just an excuse. As for the officers, I don't blame them i would rather cruise around in my own car all day than some beat up cruiser. 

My question is... Why the hell can't they put decals on the cars? (i'll tell you. Its not cool. Thats why.)

They indeed do have requirements that must be met with regards to the type of vehicle. But again. A tricked out mustang.. or Chrysler 300 with "dubs" is not an acceptable car in my opinion.  They must have an actual police vehicle outfitted as such come to transport anyone. A waste of resources.

With regards to following traffic laws... Look, I get where you are coming from. You are an LEO and I am not. But regardless. When I see officer X putting the hammer down as I see him do quite often, And then 3 minutes later the car is parked in the Lanihau shopping center parking lot where they all go for breakfast .. Pretty confident he is not breaking the law to arrest a perp. or stop a domestic violence call. Instead I think he probably just enjoys the sound of the free gasoline burning through that aftermarket exhaust and knowing that he can because "I am the LAW!!!" Or maybe the cop who lives down the road from me, When I see him talking on the cell phone while driving on his way to his house. Gonna take a wild guess that it is not official police business.

I don't know about cops on the Big Island, only about cops on Oahu. Big Island could be worse than Honolulu PD of course but generally the police profession will always share some of the same problems.

I have heard that Big Island PD gets subsidized cars early on while Honolulu PD has to wait about 10 years before they get one. I would believe that the cost of subsidized vehicles might cost the department a little more than having all marked blue and white cars in terms of the vehicle costs themselves but there are other benefits that can are both financial and non financial. If all cars were marked HPD cars they would need to increase parking at the stations by probably 50% That would cost a lot. Then there are benefits that are not quantifiable in terms of money. For example a subsidized officer always has a radio installed in his car so he can report things more quickly, update, and even respond. As for upgrades those are done by officers themselves. I also know that Honolulu PD can transport in subsidized vehicles even though it is rarely done. I would agree with the decal idea though, a removable magnet perhaps... well someone could steal it but maybe they could figure it out.

As for the rest of the behavior I know what you mean. It is unprofessional, but I just tend to give the benefit of the doubt because I would hate to accuse someone of wrong doing when they actually had good reason.

hpd is supposed to do factory available modifications only
once, i accidentally bought 2 stock 350Z intake tubes to add to my G35
the guy who bought it from me was an HPD officer and was going to put it in his G35 sedan, he said that since it's a nissan factory part, it's ok to install
that's not to say others don't do it, or that the big island is different, but this is what happened in my experience

I don't know about cops on the Big Island, only about cops on Oahu. Big Island could be worse than Honolulu PD of course but generally the police profession will always share some of the same problems.

I have heard that Big Island PD gets subsidized cars early on while Honolulu PD has to wait about 10 years before they get one. I would believe that the cost of subsidized vehicles might cost the department a little more than having all marked blue and white cars in terms of the vehicle costs themselves but there are other benefits that can are both financial and non financial. If all cars were marked HPD cars they would need to increase parking at the stations by probably 50% That would cost a lot. Then there are benefits that are not quantifiable in terms of money. For example a subsidized officer always has a radio installed in his car so he can report things more quickly, update, and even respond. As for upgrades those are done by officers themselves. I also know that Honolulu PD can transport in subsidized vehicles even though it is rarely done. I would agree with the decal idea though, a removable magnet perhaps... well someone could steal it but maybe they could figure it out.

As for the rest of the behavior I know what you mean. It is unprofessional, but I just tend to give the benefit of the doubt because I would hate to accuse someone of wrong doing when they actually had good reason.