Leong to remain on police panel
| • | Judge says he's staying on campaign-donor case |
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Mayor Jeremy Harris said he would not ask a member of the Police Commission to step down while he faces a charge of making illegal donations to Harris' campaign committee.
Leonard Leong, a vice president of Royal Contracting Co., was appointed to the commission by Harris in 1996 and has served as its chairman.
He was charged Friday with donating money to Harris' campaign under a false name. The misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Arraignment is scheduled Sept. 26.
Leong declined to discuss the case yesterday, but said he had no immediate plan to resign and had not heard from Harris.
"I'm still mulling it over," Leong said. "I think I'll probably just wait and see what happens."
City Ethics Commission director Charles Totto said he could not recall another police commissioner ever being charged with a crime.
"There certainly is at least a question of whether it's appropriate to have someone who is alleged to have committed a crime serve on the Police Commission," he said.
But Harris said he would "certainly not" ask Leong to resign.
"Mr. Leong has served this community well as a member of the Police Commission, and I would like him to continue his service through the remainder of his term," Harris said.
City spokeswoman Carol Costa later added: "People should remember that there has only been a misdemeanor complaint. Mr. Leong has not been convicted of anything."
Police Commission chairman Ronald Taketa could not be reached for comment.
The commission is a panel of seven civilians appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The commissioners hire and may remove the chief of police, decide whether public money should be used to defend officers accused of wrongdoing, and review citizen allegations of police misconduct.
The Police Department and city prosecutor's office are in the midst of a massive investigation of illegal campaign contributions, focused largely on money that went to Harris. Issues related to the probe could get sticky for Leong, said the ethics commission's Totto.
The lead police investigator, Maj. Daniel Hanagami, is a defendant in a lawsuit filed in August by three top employees of an engineering firm. Hanagami had arrested them on suspicion of making illegal donations to Harris.
That could present Leong with a conflict of interest if the commission is asked to approve money for Hanagami's defense, Totto said. But he stressed that it did not necessarily mean Leong could not serve on the commission.
"It's an unusual situation," Totto said. "It's a new type of case, and we'd have to look at the individual facts of it."
The suit alleges that Hanagami arrested the three R.M. Towill Corp. employees "to retaliate and harass them" for refusing to answer questions before a grand jury after they invoked their constitutional right to remain silent.
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
