Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha fares poorly in the latest Hawaii Poll, but Oahu residents generally have confidence in the Honolulu Police Department.
When asked whether they had favorable or unfavorable opinions of Kealoha, the City Council and the three major mayoral candidates, Kealoha received a 28 percent favorable rating, the lowest by far. The nine-member Council received a 45 percent favorable rating, the second lowest.
But the responses to the poll were overwhelmingly positive for the Honolulu Police Department, with 41 percent voicing “strong confidence” in the department and another 8 percent reporting “very strong confidence.”
Some 35 percent were “neutral” when it came to their confidence in HPD, and 8 percent had “little confidence.”
In an email response to the Hawaii Poll results, Kealoha said in a short statement, “I’d like to thank the public for its confidence in HPD and for the support that the department has received following the shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge.”
Jocelyn Chang-Chuck, 68, of Mililani was among the respondents to the Hawaii Poll who rated Kealoha unfavorably because “our police chief should be a role model, and I don’t see him as a role model. The police chief should have high moral standards. From what I’m reading and hearing, he does not.”
Conducted by Ward Research from June 30 to July 9, the poll surveyed 401 likely primary voters on Oahu. It had a margin of error of 4.9 points.
In a January 2015 Ward Research poll of 322 registered voters on Oahu, Kealoha had a 35 percent favorable rating. The 2015 poll had a margin of error of 5.5 points.
Kealoha has acknowledged that he is the subject of a criminal investigation by the FBI, which the chief linked to a family feud involving his wife, city Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha, some of her relatives and the alleged theft of the couple’s mailbox.
Katherine Kealoha’s uncle, Gerard Puana, was charged with stealing the mailbox. During Puana’s trial in December 2014, Chief Kealoha caused a mistrial when he provided unsolicited testimony to the federal jury about Puana’s criminal history.
Puana’s lawyer suggested that Kealoha deliberately caused the mistrial, and said the prosecutor dismissed the case after he presented evidence of police misconduct that was going to be presented in the trial.
Last month the Kealohas sued the city, the Honolulu Ethics Commission and the commission’s former executive director and former investigator. The Kealohas previously sued the Ethics Commission in July 2015 and again in September.
Despite Chief Kealoha’s troubles, Karen Morneau, 67, of Aiea gave him a favorable rating in the latest Hawaii Poll “for his public service. I approve of his job performance.”
Morneau has concerns about “the recent personal things that are happening with the police chief, but he’s a public servant and I think he’s doing well.”
Overall, Hawaii Poll respondents were statistically deadlocked on whether they approve or disapprove of Kealoha’s job performance.
While 43 percent approve of the chief’s job performance, 41 percent disapprove.
In a separate question, however, 48 percent said he should not remain on the job, compared with 39 percent who said he should keep his job.
Even Kealoha supporter Morneau believes Kealoha’s days are numbered as head of HPD.
“Because of all of these personal affairs, he may be asked to step down,” Morneau said. “In the end that’s going to be the primary reason why he must step down and has to step down.”
Respondents to the Hawaii Poll were clear in who they believe should have the authority to hire and fire Honolulu’s police chief.
Asked whether the mayor should have the authority to hire and fire the police chief instead of the Honolulu Police Commission, 54 percent said no. Only 40 percent thought the power should be given to the mayor.
Despite all of the attention focused on Chief Kealoha, poll respondents such as Morneau appreciate the work of HPD’s rank-and-file officers.
Morneau, who has been involved in three driving incidents — including a “road rage driver” who tailed her — that resulted in interactions with various HPD officers, said, “The police came right away and helped me out.”
When she sees officers doing their job on the road, such as monitoring drivers’ speed with radar guns, Morneau said, “I always give them the shaka sign. Every time I do that, an officer waves back at me. It’s trivial, but to me that’s important to know they’re human beings.”
20160719 Hawaii Poll Tables July 2016 – HPD Kealoha by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd
