Posted on: Saturday, May 25, 2002

Police chief's secretary goes to court for job

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau

LIHU'E, Kaua'i — The longtime secretary to Police Chief George Freitas has gone to court to challenge her firing.

Circuit Judge George Masuoka this week ordered that Jackie Tokashiki be kept on the job at least until he rules July 3 on her request for an injunction preventing her removal from office.

Freitas gave no reason for her termination, but court documents filed by Tokashiki showed there were problems between the two.

Tokashiki had been the chief's personal secretary since his arrival on the job six years ago, as she had been to a generation of previous chiefs.

Freitas was suspended by the Kaua'i Police Commission in August 2001 after two senior officers accused him of a range of improper actions. Six months later, most of the charges had been dropped and Freitas was placed back on the job with only two reprimands. He is appealing those.

During his suspension, he complained in writing to the county attorney's office that Tokashiki was releasing information about him, and that she lied to him about having removed his handgun from his office desk.

In court documents filed by her attorney, Tokashiki admitted putting the handgun in a safe, and admitted denying to Freitas that she knew about it.

When he returned to office early this year, Freitas immediately transferred Tokashiki, whose position does not have civil service protection, to another position in the department. Later, he advised her that she would be terminated effective May 31.

Tokashiki's legal action argues that Freitas had not followed proper procedure in releasing her, and she has asked the judge to issue a restraining order preventing her firing.