Posted on: Monday, April 21, 2003

EDITORIAL
Corruption allegations deserve second opinion

Once a community loses confidence in law enforcement, everything goes downhill. And thus we echo Kaua'i Mayor Bryan Baptiste's call for the FBI to look into allegations of police corruption in his county.

At this point, we don't have enough information to entertain or reject the allegations raised in a federal lawsuit filed by officer Mark Begley. But it's going to take more than Police Chief George Freitas' assurance that Begley's claims have been fully investigated to put this matter to bed.

After all, Freitas is named in the suit that alleges Lt. Martin Curnan, the former vice squad head, was involved in a drug-trafficking ring, and that Freitas failed to investigate.

The suit claims Curnan seized narcotics from dealers and users, but did not turn in the drugs as evidence or pursue charges. Moreover, Begley alleges that Curnan assaulted him, and that Freitas retaliated against him.

Curnan and Freitas deny the allegations, and Freitas says the results of a thorough investigation into the matter have already been turned over to the county prosecutor's office.

Nonetheless, the allegations have generated a mill of rumors and concerns on the Garden Island, which has its share of drug problems and police controversies, including those directly involving Freitas. Most of the allegations against the chief were dismissed, but they left behind a cloud of uncertainty.

The morale of the Kaua'i Police Department has undeniably been affected by these and other incidents. Police and the public on Kaua'i deserve an outside opinion in this latest controversy.