HPD lieutenant to head homicide investigations
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Lt. David Kamai has been named supervisor of Honolulu Police Department homicide investigations.
Kamai, 45, previously headed the Family Violence Unit and crisis negotiation team. Thirteen of Kamai's 22 years with HPD were spent as a narcotics/vice investigator.
Kamai succeeds Bill Kato, who was reassigned to the Central Receiving Division.
Kato, who supervised the Career Criminal Unit as well as homicide investigations, was demoted by Chief Lee Donohue to the rank of sergeant and transferred out of the Criminal Investigation Division on Feb. 1 as a result of an Administrative Review Board action stemming from the shooting death of Officer Glen Gaspar last March 4.
The board based its disciplinary action on procedural violations — which included not wearing bulletproof vests —Êduring the arrest of fugitive Shane Mark at Kapolei Shopping Center.
Detectives Bruce Swann, Kenneth Higa and Shannon Kawakami, and Officer Calvin Sung were also disciplined. Swann retired on Feb. 1 with 30 years of HPD service while Higa, Kawakami and Sung received one-day suspensions. All have filed grievances with their union, the State of Hawai'i Organization of Police Officers.
In his new assignment, Kamai will supervise six homicide detectives — Cliff Rubio, Larry Tamashiro, Ted Coons, Sheryl Sunia, James Anderson and Kathleen Osmond — as well as Detectives Colin Shigemasa and Nani Kaopua of the arson/bomb detail, missing persons investigators Philip Camero and Mary Aragones, and Higa and Sung, who are handling gang-related investigations. Kawakami was reassigned to robbery investigations last year.
"What makes David outstanding is his calm demeanor in stressful situations," Criminal Investigations Division Capt. Alan Arita said. "As team leader of our crisis negotiation team, he has helped to resolve many cases in highly stressful situations."
Jesse Masagatani has been named acting lieutenant of the Family Violence Unit while Lt. Mark Hibbs will succeed Kamai as head of the crisis negotiations team.
