'Dirty cop' Koanui surfaces as Officer of Year

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

For nearly three years, Det. Earl Koanui posed as a "dirty cop," accepting thousands of dollars in bribes to protect large-scale gambling rings that operated chicken fights, dice games and card games.

Detective Earl Koanui gets a hug from fiancee Dee Ann Wemple, who also is a police officer. Honolulu Police Chief Lee Donohue, left, and the 200 Club's Joe Dacey also were on hand yesterday to honor Koanui as officer of the year. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

For his efforts, Koanui yesterday was named the Honolulu Police Department's 2001 Officer of the Year.

"It was a team effort," said Koanui, 37. "The challenge is there. I would definitely do it again."

Koanui was one of four HPD employees honored at the ceremony sponsored by The 200 Club yesterday at Dole Cannery.

The other honorees were Alan Kang as HPD's Reserve Officer of the Year, Officer Anthony Shimizu as HPD's Parent of the Year and Leona Yuen as HPD's Civilian Employee of the Year.

Koanui's undercover performance as a "dirty cop" was so convincing that he fooled gambling operators, family, friends and other officers, who shunned him and gave him dirty looks. Koanui said family members and friends really believed he was protecting gambling operations by warning operators when police raids would strike.

"It wasn't an easy thing to take," said Koanui, who worked in the Gambling Detail of the Narcotics-Vice Division and is an 18-year veteran. "It was heart-wrenching."

Koanui's fiancee, Dee Ann Wemple, who is also a police officer, said the secret job took a toll on Koanui's health and reputation.

"I told him to hang in there," said Wemple, who was one of the few people who knew what Koanui was doing. "At times, he got really burned out."

Wemple feared that Koanui was getting in too deep, that the operation was getting too big, that he would get hurt or his reputation would be tarnished.

"I thought he was going beyond the call," Wemple said. "After he 'surfaced,' a lot of the (officers) treated him differently. They shook his hand and said 'good job.' That made a difference. He did an awesome job."

Honolulu Police Chief Lee Donohue agreed.

"It's a tribute to Earl," Donohue said. "The award he receives, he certainly deserves. There were many personal sacrifices he had to make. For a while, he was branded. It's not easy to pose as a 'dirty cop.' He kept the charade going. That's the tricky part."

In August 1997, then-Officer Koanui, acting in an undercover capacity, was offered a bribe by a known gambling operator, according to police. This led to his posing as a dirty cop for 32 months, working with the federal prosecutor's office and the FBI as the lead investigator in the case. Former U.S. Attorney Steve Alm called Koanui a "real hero."

The investigation exposed Koanui to constant danger as he held at least 300 face-to-face meetings with known gambling figures.

The investigation culminated in May 2000 with federal indictments of 32 adults accused of gambling and money laundering offenses. Nearly $500,000 was seized for forfeiture, along with two buildings on Maunakea Street, a home in Hawai'i Kai and a one-acre parcel on the Big Island valued at more than $2.6 million. Koanui, a 1981 Kamehameha graduate, was promoted to detective in December 2000.

The other honorees:

• Kang, a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service by day, has been a volunteer HPD officer since December 1979 and is assigned to the Human Resources Division.

Throughout the last year, Kang helped make checks on applicants for police recruit and supervised four other reserve officers assigned to the Human Resources Division.

He worked more than 470 volunteer hours at HPD during the past year, nearly double the minimum number of hours required of reserve officers.

• Shimizu joined HPD in June 1996 and is assigned to the East Honolulu District. In June 2000, his daughter Alyshia, 6, fell at home and needed stitches to close the cut on her knee. She was admitted to Kapi'olani Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with a life-threatening infection. Two weeks later, Alyshia and her mother were on a plane to Sacramento for treatment, leaving Shimizu home to care for their other four children — three sons, 4, 10, 14, and a daughter, 12.

Complicating matters, the Shimizus were in the process of building their home and the homes of neighbors as part of a self-help program in Tenney Village.

Even though it was difficult at times, Shimizu remained positive and upbeat, and he willingly spoke with the news media about his daughter, her illness and the importance of parents' spending quality time with their children. When Alyshia and her mother returned home, Shimizu joined in caring for Alyshia. The Shimizus went back to constructing their new home, which was completed in December, and Alyshia is recovering.

• Yuen is assigned as a reports reviewer for the follow-up unit of the Records and Identification Division. Yuen joined HPD in September 1973. Some of her duties include reviewing police reports to see that they are classified correctly; fixing errors; indexing and coding information on police reports; and processing warrants, subpoenas, temporary restraining orders and other legal documents.

Her supervisor said she is an exceptionally dedicated employee who does not leave work until all tasks are done. She occasionally has to be ordered to go home.

From February through December 2000, Yuen logged 100,000 new cases and nearly 64,000 updates into the computer system, which is 42,300 more than the next prolific co-worker. She also took on extra assignments and was commended for having perfect attendance for 2000.