Deputy chief retiring after 36 years on force
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Deputy Chief Michael Carvalho, the Honolulu Police Department's second in command, will retire March 31, ending a 36-year career.
"I have no regrets, and if I had a chance to do it again I would," said the Nanakuli native, who spent 17 years in the Narcotics/Vice Division as an undercover officer and administrator.
"I've worked for five chiefs. When I joined the force I was one of 500 officers, there were no portable radios, no body armor, no 9-millimeters," he said. "Now there are 2,000 sworn officers, the equipment is better and crime today is more violent.
"There were good times and bad times, happy times and sad times. What I'll miss most is the fellowship."
Carvalho, 58, attended Farrington High School and is a graduate of the FBI's National Academy.
"He's a competent deputy, a confidant, an honest and caring individual and close friend," said Chief Lee Donohue. "Yes, I'm going to miss him very much."
Donohue pointed to the "Green Harvest" marijuana eradication operations as one of Carvalho's biggest contributions. "He was the guy who originated the plan for us, and it's still in effect today."
He leaves having survived two shootouts with his sense of humor intact.
In his office there is a before-and-after photo of his undercover days, when he had long hair and a thick beard.
One of his favorite stories is about misunderstanding Hawaiian words.
"We were doing a wiretap with the feds," Carvalho said, "and I had an agent and attorney from the Mainland with me in my car. The car radio was on and all of a sudden there's this chatter about mauka and makai. The guys in the car didn't know what they were talking about."
Several assistant chiefs also are contemplating retirement, possibly by year's end, and the 59-year-old Donohue enters the final year of his five-year term April 19.
"I'm hoping to be reappointed, but that's up to the Police Commission," Donohue said. "If people leave, it'll be in increments, so I don't see any disruptions. It's an exciting time in that we can set the future of the department because there are a lot of qualified people coming up."
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Correction: Michael Carvalho's career spans 36 years. A headline on a previous version of this story was wrong.
