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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, September 8, 2004

HPD may reassign investigator

By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer

Newly appointed Honolulu Police Chief Boisse Correa may be considering reassigning a key investigator who has been looking into illegal campaign contributions.

Bob Watada, executive director of the state's Campaign Spending Commission, said yesterday that Correa has not contacted him about the possible reassignment. But, Watada said, he's been told by sources at the Police Department and the city prosecutor's office that Maj. Daniel Hanagami may be pulled.

Hanagami is regarded by Watada and many in the law-enforcement community as the state's top white-collar crime investigator.

"It's like cutting off our arms now at this point," Watada said. "You are talking about the key investigator. Major Hanagami has been front and center on the investigation. He has interviewed hundreds of people for this investigation, and you just can't pick that up again by looking through the records."

HPD public information officer Michelle Yu said the chief would not make a decision about the major's assignment without first consulting City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle.

Carlisle said last night that Correa called him and asked to talk about Hanagami's work with the probe, but did not say it was about a reassignment.

"I'm happy to meet with him," Carlisle said.

No meeting date had been set.

Correa said he may pull Hanagami from the investigation to concentrate on Hanagami's official job of heading the department's Information Technology Division.

Hanagami, who could not be reached for comment, has been on special assignment investigating illegal campaign contributions for more than two years. The inquiry has led to no-contest or guilty pleas from 24 city contractors or consultants.

The investigation into illegal campaign contributions, particularly to Mayor Jeremy Harris, has been ongoing for almost three years.

More than 30 people have been charged with making illegal donations, but neither Harris nor any of the officials who ran his campaign committee have been charged with wrongdoing. Harris has said he never solicited or knowingly accepted illegal donations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.