Graveyard Shift: Honolulu Pays Police $1 Million In Overtime To Guard Morgue Trailers 1 The city is paying up to five times the cost of private security but says it’s worth it.
When the Honolulu morgue acquired refrigerated trailers to store extra bodies during the pandemic last year, the city also brought in police officers to watch the containers 24/7.
The city says it wanted to prevent vandalism and protect people’s loved ones at the Iwilei office.
A year and a half later, though, the county is on track to spend over $1 million on police overtime to provide round-the-clock surveillance of the remains, and some community members are questioning the expense. The money came from the city’s American Rescue Plan allocation.
