New public safety director confronts familiar problems
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
When John Peyton Jr. joined the U.S. Attorney's Hawai'i office in 1983 to become the first director of the Hawai'i High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, drug-related crimes were among the top issues of the day.
• Position: State public safety director • Age: 58 • Education: B.A., University of Dayton; J.D., University of Cincinnati; L.L.M., George Washington University • Previous jobs: Assistant U.S. attorney in Hawai'i office (1983 to 2003) including assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina as resident legal adviser for organized crime and anti-fraud department; interim director for the Hawai'i High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area; chief of the Drug and Organized Crime Section for the Hawai'i office; assistant U.S. attorney in Southern District of Florida (1981 to 1983); CIA associate general counsel (1976 to 1981) including chief of litigation division; senior assistant city prosecutor, city of Cincinnati (1972 to 1975) • Family: Married, three adult children • Hobbies: Reading history
Twenty years later, as Gov. Linda Lingle's pick to head the Department of Public Safety, Peyton again is asked to cope with the effects of illicit drugs, this time as head of the agency that handles law enforcement and corrections for the state.
John F. Peyton Jr.
The emphasis by state, federal and local authorities to combat drug-related crimes has contributed to the overburdened prison situation, he said, a problem that is now forcing him to send even more inmates to the Mainland.
"As the public and the politicians have demanded more effective law enforcement, which I believe the police, federal agencies and prosecutors have provided, that increases the incarceration rate," he said.
Peyton's first day on the new job was July 7, making him the last of Lingle's major appointments to come aboard.
Peyton spoke to The Advertiser on a number of issues — from the idea of splitting the state's sheriff and corrections functions, to his recent stint helping U.S. efforts to bring peace to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On the prisons issue, statistics compiled by Peyton's staff show that the inmate population in Hawai'i has expanded by more than seven times since 1980, with the women's population growing an even more startling 20 times. The prison population housed here and on the Mainland is more than 5,600.
Drug rehabilitation will be a big part of the corrections plan, he said. On the issue of private prisons here, Peyton responded: "It's too early to say."
The new director said one of his biggest surprises since coming on the job last month is the poor conditions of the prisons here. Giving them much-needed upgrades and repairs will be a priority, he said.
The Lingle administration advocated splitting the corrections and law-enforcement divisions into two agencies. The Legislature, this past session, directed the Public Safety Department to come up with a cost-benefit analysis of such a split.
Peyton said he will reserve comment on that issue until the report is completed, also in time for next January's legislative session.
Peyton came to Hawai'i 20 years ago leaving his post as an assistant U.S. attorney in Florida assigned to prosecute international drug cases.
His background as a longtime assistant U.S. attorney will serve Peyton well at his new job, said former Public Safety Director Keith Kaneshiro, also a former city prosecutor, who called Peyton "a sharp guy and a good lawyer."
Kat Brady, coordinator for the nonprofit Community Alliance on Prisons, said her initial inclination is that Peyton's prosecutorial background will not bode well for prisoner rights. However, Brady said, "he's an intelligent person, and that's always helpful."
Brady said she was also pleased to learn that Peyton has already made it a point to visit each of the prisons under the department. "That makes a huge difference, it says at the highest level, there's somebody who knows I'm here, and that's a good thing," she said.
Former Hawai'i U.S. Attorney Dan Bent, who hired Peyton away from the Florida U.S. Attorney's Office in July 1983, praised the new director's wealth of experience and reputation for "good judgment."
Peyton recently was in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in his role as an assistant U.S. attorney, on assignment as vice president of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils in charge of reforming the judicial system in the war-ravaged region.
He also served for a time as legal adviser for the Organized Crime and Anti-Fraud Department for the Office of the High Representative there, helping the host government prosecute organized crime and public corruption.
Peyton said he answered the call for an experienced assistant U.S. attorney to be sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina because, "I'd never been there." While a lot of progress has been made in ensuring democracy survives there, "a lot more needs to be done," he said.
Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
