HPD settlement must be justified
In the next 24 hours or so, at its regularly scheduled Wednesday meeting, the Honolulu Police Commission is expected to make its decision public about any deal it’s striking with embattled Honolulu Police Department Chief Louis Kealoha, who has stated his intent to retire from HPD.
The public expects that the commission will issue a full explanation about any payout in public funds beyond Kealoha’s retirement entitlement.
And the public hopes the commission — which has been given more discretion over hiring and firing a police chief in the recent City Charter amendment process — still has the inclination to restrict the deal to the basic retirement package.
The police chief has been in the sights of the FBI in an ongoing federal corruption probe since receiving a “target letter” from the law- enforcement agency in December.
Now the case, which also involves the chief’s wife, Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha, has ratcheted up several notches. Deputy Prosecutor Kealoha was issued a subpoena Thursday to turn over her work laptops to U.S. District Judge Michael Seabright.
And then on Friday FBI agents served the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office with a search warrant as part of the investigation.
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It’s impossible to know the intent here with any certainty, but the federal raid ought to give the commission pause about acting prematurely.
The Kealohas’ case is linked to a family dispute involving the couple and Katherine Kealoha’s uncle, Gerard Puana. The unseemly drama surrounding it and high-profile allegations have depressed morale at HPD, which is a chief concern of the police commission.
It ought to be a concern of the Prosecutors’ Office as well, although up to this point Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro has stood by his deputy and even has bolstered her standing with a new assignment. There’s been no further comment from Kaneshiro’s office, other than statements that it was cooperating with the federal raid.
Puana maintains he was framed by the Kealohas for allegedly stealing their mailbox at their Kahala home in 2013, an accusation stemming from a family feud.
To add to the complications, Chief Kealoha has been accused of intentionally triggering a mistrial in the 2015 federal criminal theft case.
The aim, according to First Assistant Federal Public Defender Alex Silvert, was to avert a not-guilty verdict that would have undercut a civil case against Puana.
Silvert went on to say that Kaneshiro “declared war” on the federal prosecutor and the federal grand jury by calling the grand jury process a “circus” and “outrageous.”
Such characterizations may be simply rhetorical, arising from the explosive case. Regardless: The public needs a fuller explanation from the prosecutor about how he is keeping the strain from diminishing morale at his own agency.
On Dec. 16, Niall Silva, a retired HPD officer, pleaded guilty to falsifying documents and altering evidence, lending support to the assertion that Puana had been framed for the mailbox theft.
A few days later, the chief placed himself on voluntary paid leave after the FBI target letter arrived.
Kealoha last week agreed to retire and since then, has been negotiating his compensation package with the police commission.
It’s clear how all of this may have damaged morale in the police force Kealoha has led. But it’s not at all evident that this sufficiently warrants extra money to Kealoha. The commission should feel hard-pressed to justify this.
Ever since Kealoha’s 2014 contract renewal that came with high marks, things have gone horribly wrong. The commission would have to explain why someone in a position of such public responsibility deserves anything extra under those circumstances.
14 responses to “HPD settlement must be justified”
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This one smells really bad.
I agree wiht you and SA is so right: This inside job smells bad. Kealoha continued to get meaningless excellent evaluations while his actual performance was very poor. HPD has significantly deteriorated in morals and performance. The number of public outrageous behavior by police continue. Kealoha should have been fired or reprimanded years ago. His legal problems with federal investigators are actually less important than his dreadful performance. Please stop meaningless commissions who suffer from lack of morals and common sense. No more insider deals with the good old boys from the corrupted local Democratic club.
Say I was working at some place or other, and controversy swirled about and around me there, all the time. Say that went on for a good long while, and it began to affect the morale of the folks I worked with, the way those things really can wear us down sometimes.
Doesn’t *this* make sense – that if kept doing poorly at that job, if I bummed out my co-workers consistently, engaged in boorish, bully-like behavior, if there were an ‘aroma’ of something sticky and unpleasant in my personality and actions, after a while I would NOT be able to keep that job. Any rational person would likely agree, that losing that job would be appropriate, because I hadn’t lived up to my responsibilities.
Most certainly, absolutely, for sure, I would NOT be given a nice little bonus package as part of my ‘leaving under a cloud’ package. And that would be pono, yeah, fair, right. Because I wouldn’t deserve those extra goodies at all.
Are you Norm Chow?
I respect and like Norm. He is a man of honor.
Not ok to provide a huge bonus ! Crime has been rampant, would you say that Honolulu is safe with the stolen cars and homes being broken into with in the lasr 3 years. He does not qualify for a bonus.
Any deal should have a “give back” provision. For example, if the chief is charged by the feds, he must give back any bonus. If not charged then he can keep it.
If the commission under the guise that this is a personnel matter gives the chief a huge financial buy back, not only would that be wrong but would also show that despite changes in the commissions make up, they still cannot do their jobs. Public confidence in them and HPD would sink even further.
I just cannot stand Max Sword. In a news interview, he smugly states that the commission cannot comment because it’s a personnel matter, but if Kealoha is getting this bonus, where is this money coming from? That’s right, us taxpayers! So to me, if we are funding it, we have a right to know how or why this is even deserved!
If his “retirement” settlements include a buy out clause and a promise not to bring a lawsuit against CITY, then ok.
IMO, let him sue…his case will not look good if convicted by the feds. The federal probe goes on…any buy outs and retirement should be conditioned that he is fully exonerated. Anything else is rewarding poor performance and bad behavior.
Probably the city will buyout Kealoha’s remaining contract just to be done with him and avoid a long protracted civil litigation which would be time consuming and distracting…..
Until decided one way or the other, why isn’t he removed from active duty and put on leave without pay?
There should be no payout settlement especially with the ongoing ivestigations by the FBI. Giving him a payout to retire would be doing him a favor. Maybe he was already considering retirement after he finishes his term. But why can’t the police commision just reassign/demote him (with or without pay) until things are settled. Look online and you’ll find police chiefs and assistant chiefs that have been demoted or reassigned in other police departments. The chief and assistant chiefs are in non-civil service positions. Changes are also made whenever there is a departmental reorganization especially when a new chief comes onboard. But not in Hawaii?