No one is above family dysfunction — it’s really a matter of magnitude, and how much of it spills out for public consumption.
Unfortunately for Honolulu’s new police chief, Arthur “Joe” Logan, news of his son’s criminal activities poured out very suddenly and publicly on Wednesday, just two days after the retired major general was named Oahu’s top cop after a nearly yearlong search.
What might’ve been a private family matter has now become a public point of controversy. After the son, Zane Michael Batalona Logan, 36, was arrested Tuesday afternoon for allegedly assaulting a man at Ala Moana Beach Park, the police department’s highlight of the incident was initially marked “Do Not Post To The Media” in red letters and kept from the public.
That begged some serious questions:
>> Why was Zane Logan’s arrest initially concealed from the public? Was a veil against public transparency already going up, even before Joe Logan was sworn in?
>> If the Honolulu Police Commission was unaware, as it claims, that Zane Logan had more than 40 prior arrests and citations since 2004 for various crimes, just how thorough was the vetting process that led to Joe Logan becoming chief? This was a long-awaited selection that included delays and a jobs consultant — so it is stunning if Logan wasn’t asked, or wasn’t forthcoming, about any crime- related family skeletons.
In a news conference Wednesday, interim chief Rade Vanic sought to quell any murmurings of special treatment. “Because of the timing of the incident,” he said, “we did want to make sure that before releasing the information, we made sure that there wasn’t any information that was released that could compromise the investigation because we wanted to make sure we handled this like we handle all other investigations.”
The Police Commission said it would be pressing Vanic, as it should, about HPD’s policy for media postings at its next meeting. Any perception that undue influence will be employed, in this or other cases, can only hurt the incoming Logan administration.
For his part, Logan vowed: “I will not be involved or kept apprised of this situation. As a parent, it’s heartbreaking. I know many of you out there probably have a family member that is struggling, and it’s something that we’ve been struggling with for a long time.”
There is, of course, empathy for the relatable struggles. But Logan is now tapped to become the city’s 12th police chief — which means little will remain private, especially when it comes to criminal justice. Zane Logan’s troubles cannot become a distraction from Chief Logan doing the best job he can to keep Oahu’s people safe. The new chief must create a bright line of professionalism and objectivity that cannot be crossed, a line that all within HPD also must heed.
