Posted on: Saturday, February 16, 2002

Police department promotes 81 officers

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

A record number of Honolulu Police Department officers were promoted last night in a ceremony at the Blaisdell Center.

Honolulu Police Chief Lee Donohue promoted 81 officers, who will start their new assignments tomorrow.

The department will have one new major, two new captains, 11 new lieutenants, 33 new detectives, five new sergeants and 29 new corporals who are also known as Metropolitan Police Officer II.

Last night's promotions were the result of retirements and the department filling up with recruits, Donohue said. "We don't promote unless we have the new recruits to fill in on the bottom," Donohue said. "As we catch up with our recruitment, we've been able to promote into our vacancies. A lot of these vacancies were held for a long time."

For the 81 officers, the promotions culminated years of hard work, perseverance and a rigorous promotion process that began with officers applying for promotions in the summer of 2000, Donohue and police officials said.

Last night, the officers were surrounded by friends, family and top-ranking police officials.

"I don't know what to say," said newly promoted detective Dien Shearer, 34. "I've been in the department 14 years and I've worked hard to try to get where I am. So I'm proud.

"And I'm proud for everyone else that got promoted," Shearer said. "All the people who got promoted deserve the promotion. Being a police officer is a very hard job. Most police officers are not appreciated for what they do."

Shearer's wife, Melisa Shearer, called her husband's promotion a "big deal" and added that she was rooting for him every step of the way.

Newly promoted detective Gary Lahens, 45, said his promotion "showed that you can achieve anything you want." Lahens, an 18-year HPD veteran, came to Hawai'i after leaving Haiti more than 30 years ago, he said. "This is a great department," Lahens said.