The news that four police officers and one former officer were indicted in a federal corruption probe into illegal gambling was bad enough. But the follow-up announcement that up to 50 more are under investigation for misconduct — even if they are far lesser offenses — is worse. It casts a dismal pall over a hardworking force of roughly 1,800 who need the community's trust.

That's why the Honolulu Police Department should provide the community the most detailed report possible on those offenses and on what's being done to "clean house."

What usually happens in these administrative probes is that the results are released in a legislative roundup that summarizes the violations and the punishment meted out.

But business as usual is not enough, considering the black eye HPD sustained this week.

Under current practices, the facts of these internal investigations are kept confidential. Within legal constraints, however, it would benefit the department to report back fully to the public on this high-profile incident, and sooner than the next legislative session.

Alex Garcia, who heads O'ahu's chapter of the police union, acknowledged the need to "assure the public the department is clean."

Exactly right. In the murky realm of widespread gambling via the Internet and other venues, it's easy to see how people can be tripped up and how misconduct occurs. But if there have been substantive offenses that merit an officer's dismissal or other punishment, the public needs to hear how it's been handled.

Given the current legal climate, such a report need not cite individual names, but details of the offense and of how it was handled should be a minimum requirement.

Granted, wiretapping evidence gathered by federal investigators is not admissible in state courts, but if the administrative inquiry independently uncovers signs of criminal activity, the investigation must pursue those leads aggressively. At the very least, the public should feel confident after reading the report that the probe was thorough.

Our police officers perform under difficult circumstances as it is, with insufficient pay and demanding work conditions. They should not languish any longer than necessary beneath this cloud.