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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, June 7, 2002

Retirees ready for liquor duties

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Six former police officers hired to replace Honolulu Liquor Commission inspectors named in federal indictments two weeks ago are expected to be in the field and conducting investigations this week.

The Honolulu Police Department retirees were sworn in Monday and were being trained on state and county liquor laws. Yesterday they attended their first Liquor Commission meeting, and they will be seeing their first action soon, commission administrator Wallace Weatherwax said.

The commission was rocked May 23 when six inspectors and two retired inspector supervisors were indicted by a federal grand jury on 57 counts of bribery and extortion. The eight were accused of taking bribes from hostess bars in return for not enforcing liquor laws.

Inspectors typically go out in two-member teams and each of the six new hires will be partnered with an experienced supervisor, according to Weatherwax.

A seventh temporary hire is a retired commission inspector who specialized in licensing. He began work immediately, Weatherwax said.

The inspectors, who are on contract to work 89 days for about $3,000 a month, bring the liquor commission inspection force to 14. Weatherwax said that has been the typical manning level for the past five years.

"We will continue to maintain a strong presence and we'll get over the hump," Weatherwax said.

He added that today is the deadline to apply for four permanent inspector positions. Starting pay is about $23,000 and applicants must have a minimum of two years of law enforcement experience, he said.

The six indicted inspectors were placed on administrative leave and that put a strain on commission resources.

But Weatherwax said he did not see the staffing shortage as a serious problem. For the past two years Honolulu police have done much of the undercover work at strip bars and cabarets, he said.

"We didn't view the fact that we had a reduction of individuals as actually jeopardizing public safety because we were able to quickly rebound and have these people (temporary hires) satisfying our mission," Weatherwax said.