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I have a good friend who is a Lt. with HPD. He tells me that, because of hiring freezes several years ago, there was a significant gap where HPD wasn't adding new officers. Over the years, that gap has progressed through the aging/experience cycle of the police force, so that now, approximately 40% of the force is eligible for retirement. I confirmed this with another officer that I have gotten to know recently.

Impact -
~ Those officers qualifying for retirement are also the highest paid, so getting them off the payroll will provide the greatest relief for the budget problems.
~ But those highest paid officers are the most experienced. Loosing them means loosing their experience, and with the gap mentioned, that can have a significant impact. in fact, the officer I was talking to recently, a sergeant, told me that he knew of at least one class at the academy that was being taught by an officer with only two years of street experience.

All this to say, we shouldn't expect things to get better. Overall, they seem to be responding pretty well, given the challenges they face. But the challenges continue.