Report shows 26 HPD officers disciplined in 2011
HONOLULU- A report submitted to the state Legislature by the Honolulu Police Department shows 26 officers were disciplined last year for various violations of HPD policies and procedures.
Some of the violations are as innocuous as failing to show up in court, which was punishable by a one day suspension. Other violations were more serious, like failing a drug test or being untruthful during an investigation.
With about 2,000 officers in the department, the twenty-six who were reprimanded represent about 1.3 percent of the total force.
“Yeah it's less than two percent you know, but still, just having some of these officers make bad choices of which now they will suffer the consequences, at all cost we definitely want to avoid that,” said Tenari Maafala, president of the State of Hawaii Police Officers Union.
Of the officers disciplined last year by HPD, only the officer who failed a drug test was terminated. The maximum suspensions lasted ten days, for striking a prisoner, leaving the scene of a car accident, and failing to tell the truth during an investigation.
Other violations cited in the report include using a taser in violation of departmental policy, the use of profanity, and failing to conduct a thorough investigation. Two officers who used tasers inappropriately received five day suspensions.
“The assumption right of that bat is, 'Yeah you should terminate these people,'" says Maafala, "but we always got to remember that we as police officers, we're owed our due process too.”
The police union defends nearly all officers with a rank of lieutenant or below against allegations of misconduct. However it's not always automatic.
“We have our attorneys that screen our cases on whether we should go forward in an arbitration or not, and then a board which is made up of police officers,” said Maafala.
Officers who have obtained the rank of captain or above are defended by the city’s Corporation Counsel or the Hawaii Government Employees Association, which accepts high ranking officers as associate members.
The number of HPD officers disciplined last year dropped from 2010, when 37 officers were reprimanded for forty separate incidents. In 2009, 26 officers were penalized for twenty-nine incidents.
Police Commission Chairman Marc Tilker says misconduct by any officer is treated seriously, but instead of being reactive the commission takes a proactive approach.
“Through education and ethics training, these are the kinds of things that we believe will bring the number of officers (disciplined) even lower,” he said. “We have had those discussions with the police chief.”
Despite high profile cases last year, like the arrest of HPD Maj. Carlton Nishimura for alleged extortion and drug possession as well as an overtime scandal, Maafala believes the department enjoys a solid reputation.
"I truly believe in my heart that the people support our police officers,” he said.
Maafala also points to HPD’s national accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies since July of 2003."It tells the world that we are very reputable, very professional and a department that has high standards with regards to integrity.”
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