Category Archives: Police

A hollow ethics threat by former HPD Chief Kealoha

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Civil Beat reports that an attorney representing former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha has demanded Police Commissioner Loretta Sheehan recuse herself from taking part in the deliberations on whether the city should pay to Kealoha’s legal bills relating to possible federal charges.

“It is clear from her past conduct that she cannot be neutral or unbiased in this matter,” attorney Kevin Sumida wrote in a letter to the commission.

Sumida threatened to file an ethics complaint against Sheehan and the commission if she does not step aside (Civil Beat: “Kealoha Threatens Police Commissioner With Ethics Complaint”).

Apparently the evidence of “bias” is that Sheehan previously voted against positions favored by Kealoha.

This certainly sounds like a very empty threat aimed simply at clouding the public’s understanding of what’s going on.

Frankly, a quick look at the applicable provisions of the city’s ethics law suggests there are no grounds for the threatened complaint.

The ethics provisions are found in Article XI of the Revised Charter of Honolulu.

First, there are provisions prohibiting conflicts of interest, including soliciting or accepting gifts intended to influence official decisions, having financial or business interests that conflict with an official’s public duties, or accepting pay from third parties for doing one’s city job.

None of those appear to apply.

Then there is a separate provision for “fair and equal treatment,” which provides:

Elected or appointed officers or employees shall not use their official positions to secure or grant special consideration, treatment, advantage, privilege or exemption to themselves or any person beyond that which is available to every other person.

It’s hard to see that being critical of the former chief would fall under this law.

So it seems to me the commission has proceeded properly by asking Sumida to detail his “bias” complaint, presumably with some objective evidence, so that it can be duly considered.

In the meantime, the public shouldn’t be confused by all the smoke and mirrors.

Thursday evening with Civil Beat and Common Cause, & more

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Civil Beat and Common Cause are hosting an event this week that may interest some readers of this blog.

Civil Cafe: Legislative Session – What Can I Do?
Thursday, January 26, 5:30-7 p.m.
The Manifest
32 North Hotel Street | Honolulu, Hawaii 96817

Civic engagement begins with understanding process. But, many of us wonder where do we even begin? How can average citizens get involved in politics and make our voices heard?

This free public panel, presented in partnership with Common Cause, aims to educate and encourage citizen participation in lawmaking. Through an interactive discussion, guest speakers will walk us through the legislative process and provide actionable steps to make positive change in our community.

Panelists include:

Chad Blair, Civil Beat
Janet Mason, League of Women Voters
Corie Tanida, Common Cause
Keanu Young, Public Access Room

This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP in advance here.

And while mentioning Civil Beat, I forgot to link to my CB column last week:

“Ian Lind: HPD Needs To Stop Shooting At Cars“

This column makes the point that the Honolulu Police Department has a terrible record of multiple incidents in which officers shoot at suspects who are attempting to flee in order to avoid arrest. Nationally, police departments are adopting policies that prohibit officers from shooting in such situations unless the driver is threatening to use force other than their vehicle. In other words, if they are threatening the officer or someone else with a weapon, responding with deadly force may be appropriate, depending on the circumstances. Otherwise, officers are told to move out of the way rather than shooting at the car.

Anyway, the column is there for your reading. And remember, Civil Beat has removed their paywall, so there’s no problem gaining access to this column and the other excellent reporting published there.

Series of search warrants in Kealoha probe

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Hawaii News Now reporter Lynn Kawano got quite a scoop yesterday with its report that another search warrant had been served in the ongoing public corruption investigation involving the outgoing Honolulu Police Chief and his wife (“FBI raids second city building in police chief investigation“).

According to HNN, the FBI accessed a backup computer server that mirrors the Honolulu Police Department’s computer system. The server, located in the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building, maintains copies of the HPD electronic files and images.

The search of the backup server came during the same week that the FBI served a similar warrant on the office Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro, where Katherine Kealoha is a senior deputy, and a federal judge took possession of laptop computers used by Kealoha.

HNN quotes defense attorney Victor Bakke, who called the “unprecedented.”

Bakke also speculated that the series of search warrants indicates additional witnesses are now cooperating with authorities, describing additional details that are now being pursued.

The unusual investigation into the chief and his wife, a top city prosecutor, is finally starting to draw national attention. An Associated Press story by Jennifer Kelleher was picked up by ABC News and broke into broadcast and print news across the country (“FBI Serves Warrant at Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s Office“).

By the way, this morning’s online edition of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the state’s largest newspaper, does not yet have a story on this latest search warrant executed at the city’s main municipal office building.

Is Kealoha case expanding beyond the stolen mailbox?

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I guess Friday the 13th wasn’t Keith Kaneshiro’s lucky day.

“Holy cow!”

That was the reaction of Honolulu Police Commission member Loretta Sheehan, a former prosecutor, when she learned that the FBI served search warrants yesterday at the Honolulu Prosecutor’s office, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s report on the raid published this morning (“Agents search servers, seize computers as part of Kealoha investigation“).

The raid and search warrant appear to be related to the ongoing grand jury public corruption investigation involving deputy prosecutor Katherine Kealoha and her husband, embattled Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha.

The warrant allows federal investigators to search the computer server in the prosecutor’s office, which should provide access to emails and other documents.

I guess it shows that Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro’s refusal to cooperate when called before the grand jury was not an effective legal strategy nor an exercise in good judgement.

The search warrants follow letters notifying several people they are targets of the ongoing criminal probe, including the chief and a group of officers close to the chief.

Why all the fuss about a “stolen” mailbox?

Civil Beat reporter Nick Grube, who has been following this story since its inception, had a suggestive nugget in a story published on Monday, January 9 (“Is HPD Chief’s Departure Just The Beginning Of An ‘Ugly’ Mess?“).

Moreover, the investigation is bigger than just a missing mailbox, according to Alexander Silvert, the federal public defender who first uncovered evidence of wrongdoing that prompted the FBI to take action.

“The plea of guilty by Silva and the removal of the chief by the police commission is the tip of the iceberg,” Silvert said Saturday, referring to retired Honolulu officer Niall Silva, who is cooperating with federal investigators. “The grand jury investigation and the evidence we turned over is so much more far-reaching than what has come out to date.”

“There is a long way to go and a lot more that has yet to come out that involves HPD and that involves other officials in other departments of the city and county,” Silvert says. “We are only in the beginning stages of what’s going to be a long, messy, ugly part of Hawaiian law enforcement history.”

Silvert is suggesting the whole mailbox incident just a step along the way of a broader corruption case that’s about the engulf the city.

Holy cow!