A just-ended, one-year contract with a downtown public relations firm netted the Honolulu Police Department about a dozen training classes for top HPD officials, a departmentwide communications plan and a customized, seven-page “crafting your message” strategy guide.

HPD entered into the contract with The Bennet Group on March 18, 2016, in the wake of news reports about a federal investigation alleging corruption and civil rights violations that centered around then-Chief Louis Kealoha and his wife, city Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha. The investigation surfaced amid a spate of unrelated stories about indiscretions involving HPD officers.

Bennet received $106,121.22 for its work, said Joan Bennet, company president and chief executive. The contract called for the PR firm to be paid up to $125,000, but the company and HPD worked efficiently, she said.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to assist the men and women who keep our community safe, and we look forward to the direction that the department is headed,” she said.

The five-page integrated communications plan does not discuss the Kealohas specifically, but acknowledges from the outset HPD’s general public-­ ­perception problems. “The reputation and conduct of the Honolulu Police Department is currently the subject of intense, focused attention — from the public, the media, elected and community leaders, and importantly, the internal audience within HPD itself,” the report said.

“HPD has suffered reputational damage as the public perception of ethical and behavioral concerns have been brought to the fore,” the report said.

The report said the issues have led to “waning morale” among both HPD’s sworn officers and civilian employees “as they continue to see negative portrayals of their profession in the public sphere.”

The Bennet contract ended March 20 and has not been renewed.

When the contract was first made public last year, some politicians questioned whether a PR contract was a pressing priority. The department has an in-house media communications staff led by Capt. Rade Vadic and includes information officers Michelle Yu and Sarah Yoro. Two other HPD employees help with community emails, web content and social media.

Vadic, in an email response to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s questions, said the department benefited from the insight and training Bennet provided. Bennet conducted about 11 training sessions for roughly 80 senior staff members and chiefs, community policing officers and department spokesmen, including those for CrimeStoppers and the homicide and vehicular homicide divisions.

“It is always useful to receive external feedback from professionals,” Vadic said.

The communications plan states, “HPD can’t expect to eliminate any bad news or scrutiny, but can introduce other ideas and narratives proactively, to create a more balanced, healthy conversation about law enforcement in the public space.”

Bennet suggests, among other things, educating the public on HPD’s role in keeping the community safe and addressing “misperceptions regarding HPD, especially related to its policies on domestic violence, personnel matters and other issues.”

The action plan calls for, among other things, more media-related professional development and training for HPD’s communications personnel and developing an approach to issues management and crisis communications. It also calls for helping develop awareness campaigns on a revamped policy regarding domestic violence by officers and an upcoming domestic violence caseworker program in partnership with a nonprofit, as well as promoting the launch of a Text 911 program and the relaunch of its Smart 911 program.

The written “Crafting Your Message” training guide advises HPD’s communications people to determine their objectives, audience and critical points. It’s OK to “be human” and say “I don’t know,” the guide says, but don’t answer questions that call for speculation.

It states that reporters “want to save the world,” are “interested in conflict” and “look for drama,” while communications team members “want to instill confidence,” are “interested in resolution” and “look for facts.”

Loretta Sheehan, a strong advocate for HPD transparency and accountability since joining the seven-member Honolulu Police Commission last summer, maintains it was a good idea to hire the PR firm. And while Bennet may have fulfilled its contractual obligations, “I just don’t know if HPD maximized their use under the … contract,” she said.

“I have seen no evidence of a more communicative and more accountable HPD” during the time she’s been on the commission, she said. “What I’ve encountered thus far is far more a culture of secrecy.”

Sheehan said that from what she understands, new commission members are supposed to receive an orientation with each division of the department to learn about its procedures, protocols and policies. “Despite six months of requests, I’ve never been privileged with an HPD orientation,” she said.

“My perception, however wrong that may be, is that HPD struggles with a silent, internal acknowledgement that it could do better, and a reflexive defensiveness,” Sheehan said.

The contract called for HPD to pay Bennet $230 an hour to help with emergency crisis response situations. HPD did not use Bennet for emergency or crisis response, Vadic said.