We, as police officers, are here to protect and serve you. We are disgusted with what happened in Minneapolis and detest any form of racism. But that is not who we are in Hawaii.
What happened to our local political leaders? They took a movement that didn’t involve our officers and abruptly turned it against us with House Bill 285 (publicly naming an officer for every suspended day). How can our officers be hailed as heroes after two of our own were gunned down and suddenly be vilified today because of something we had nothing to do with?
Big Island Mayor Harry Kim said our “community as a whole trusts our police department.” Respected legal scholar Ken Lawson said, “I can tell you firsthand, we’re lucky we live in Hawaii. This wouldn’t be happening in Hawaii … Our police officers care about the community because they live in the community.” Trisha Kehaulani Watson, writing in a commentary on Civil Beat, has “never been afraid of the police here in Hawaii. Not once,” and stated that “our police force here in Hawaii does not categorically have the same institutionalized issues with racism that other departments across the United States do.”
Targeting our officers with HB 285 is a knee-jerk reaction from politicians who quickly forgot about the violent crimes that were occurring right before the COVID-19 shutdown, the carjackings and robberies in store parking lots, home invasions, and kupuna being robbed on sidewalks. This is a time when we desperately need the Legislature’s support for public safety, rather than misguided attacks on our local officers and their families. I will stand with our SHOPO members to protect them from shame and ridicule.
How does a mere name help anything when an officer has already been disciplined by his/her chief and information about the officer is required to be publicly disclosed, every year, by each county’s police chief? Those reports provide detailed information about every officer who was been suspended or discharged. In addition, the Hawaii Supreme Court issued a decision that requires the release of an officer’s name under various circumstances.
Who would want to become an officer if every minor discipline was released to the public? How will that help recruit new officers to fill our depleted ranks so we can stop the violent criminal who is willing to viciously beat a woman in the crowded parking lot of Don Quijote for her purse?
If you thought the spike in brazen crimes was coincidental, think again. The simple fact is we do not have enough officers. If you want to see what a police department with minimal staffing looks like, just continue to bend to the political winds.
Nearly a quarter of Honolulu’s beats are not staffed with regular shift officers. Without working overtime, overall staffing levels would reportedly be down to 75%. Our officers are overworked and fatigued. As of last month, the Honolulu Police Department’s vacancies skyrocketed to 314. Given the shortage of police officers, certain crimes are simply not being investigated.
Again, HB 285 does nothing to help this critical situation.
To our elected officials, don’t abandon us now after you reassured us while attending the funeral services for Officers Tiffany Enriquez and Kaulike Kalama that you would stand shoulder to shoulder with us and make public safety your top priority. With the chronic shortage of police officers and the double duty our officers have been valiantly performing during the COVID-19 pandemic, with little to no protection, now is not the time to turn your backs on our officers. I stand for all the Hawaii police officers who come to work every day and do their jobs the right way for you.
Malcolm Lutu is president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO).
