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Police Chief Susan Ballard is probably right that the Honolulu Police Department has fewer racial flashpoints with its community than other cities, and fewer of the violent outcomes from clashes.
That doesn’t mean HPD should be excused from the transparency that House Bill 285 would bring, identifying officers whose misdeeds get them suspended. Ballard reportedly doesn’t favor the bill, widely expected to pass. Let’s hope that it does, with the corruption cases of her predecessor, Louis Kealoha, and other top-level police, fresh in memory.
Safeguards get stadium into the game
Given that University of Hawaii football players are already in the weight room for voluntary sessions — and training camp is slated to start in late July — it’s time for the UH, in tandem with Aloha Stadium’s management, to draft a spectator plan that complies with city, state and university COVID-19 guidelines.
To make clear social-distancing terms, the stadium likely will be fitted with a sort of checkerboard of seat straps, and officials are considering reopening seats in long-closed upper deck end zone sections. The home opener against UCLA is set for Sept. 5. Fans picking up last-minute game tickets may also want to pick up a pair of binoculars.
