Posted on: Wednesday, November 28, 2001

Editorial
Kaua'i police chief deserves fair play

"A puzzling situation" is how our Kaua'i bureau chief aptly described the lingering suspension of the island's police chief, George Freitas.

Freitas is finishing up four months paid leave pending investigation of complaints against him that range from the ridiculous — parking on the wrong side of the street, chewing out an assistant chief and giving his girlfriend a ride in a police vehicle — to the substantial.

That is, the single charge that seems at all serious accuses Freitas of interfering with a criminal investigation by ordering an investigator not to re-interview a witness. It's a charge that the county prosecuting attorney is not pursuing. And, when you think about it, aren't decisions like that precisely what we pay police chiefs to make?

Meanwhile, an official with the board of the Kaua'i chapter of the police union, SHOPO, has written a letter to this newspaper assuring island residents that police work is in good hands under the care of acting chief Wilfred Ihu. That's comforting until we read between the lines for the inference that some Kaua'i cops would prefer not to see Freitas return.

In any case, the residual odor from all of this is distinctly political. That is what the police commission is there for, and it's unacceptable that it has taken four months to do its job.

If the commission is uncomfortable with Freitas or his performance, it should send him packing and hire a new chief. That's the commission's prerogative; there's no requirement for proof of wrongdoing.

If, on the other hand, the commission likes the performance of the man it hired, it certainly is doing a terrible job of supporting him.