HPD disciplined 49 last year
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer
Despite an increase in disciplinary actions taken against Honolulu police officers last year, the overall number was relatively low and comparable to past years.
Last year, 49 officers were disciplined, up from 40 in 2002. That's down from 56 officers disciplined in 2001 and 63 in 2000.
The Honolulu Police Department employs nearly 2,000 officers, meaning that less than 2 1/2 percent of the force was disciplined in 2003.
Two HPD officers were fired last year — one for theft, in using money transferred from someone else's bank account; the other for sexual assault while conducting an investigation.
Three were fired in 2002 and six were let go in 2001.
"It certainly sounds like a small number of incidents and obviously that's good," said Alfred Blumstein, a criminologist at Carnegie Mellon University. "One would think in most urban areas you would get many more."
In Maui County, which includes Moloka'i and Lana'i, no officers were disciplined last year. Hawai'i County suspended 17 officers in 2003 but none was fired.
The statistics come from a report submitted to the Legislature. The annual reports have been mandatory since 1995 under a state law stemming from a challenge by a University of Hawai'i student journalism group seeking more openness with police disciplinary records.
Some of the suspensions and dismissals recorded last year may have stemmed from infractions as far back as five years. Police said the process of appealing a suspension, filing a grievance with the union, and the actual investigation of a case can take some time.
Honolulu Police Chief Lee Donohue credits stringent recruitment standards and technological advances in the documenting of complaints for the low volume of disciplinary action.
"It's a tough business with tough situations. It's (the low number of complaints) a tribute to our employees," Donohue said. "But I don't think a chief could ever be happy with complaints."
Donohue said less than 4 percent of all applicants graduate from the police academy and become full-fledged officers. He said that in screening candidates, the department's tough standards contribute to a reduced number of complaints.
"I'd put us up against any big business in terms of services provided and number of complaints," Donohue said.
Technology has also helped the department identify officers with disciplinary problems. As part of the accreditation process that the department undergoes every three years, HPD is required to use a disciplinary reporting system.
Donohue said a reporting system has been in place for several years, but recently the records have gone online so administrators can quickly track complaints against specific officers and identify problems before they worsen.
In a typical year, he said, the department has more than 400,000 contacts with the public but usually fewer than 100 complaints.
Maui County, which has more than 300 officers, levied no suspensions last year; the 17 officers suspended in Hawai'i County came from a force of nearly 400 officers.
"As a department, it's never happy to impose discipline," said Maj. Elroy Osorio of the Hawai'i County Police Department. "But discipline is a necessary step."
Kaua'i County, with 90 officers, has yet to submit its disciplinary report to the Legislature. In October, Chief George Freitas retired, handing control of the department over to Wilfred Ihu. The department is putting the report together.
Ihu said that as far as he can determine, no officer was suspended last year. He said the small number of officers on Kaua'i leads to very few complaints and disciplinary actions.
"We're good guys on Kaua'i," he said.
Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.
