POLICE BEAT
Police chief returns after back surgery
Advertiser Staff
After missing the past four months of work, Honolulu Police Chief Boisse Correa quietly returned to the office last week, police department officials confirmed yesterday.
Correa appeared at police headquarters on Monday, said department spokesman Frank Fujii.
"I talked to him. He's doing good," Fujii said.
Fujii would not answer any further questions about Correa's health or work, saying more information might be available tomorrow.
Since taking over the police chief $110,000-a-year job in 2004, Correa has missed more than 200 days of work on vacation and workers' compensation leave.
In October, he underwent emergency back surgery, his third such operation in 18 months.
Correa has repeatedly declined to comment on the specific nature of his injury, but told members of the Honolulu Police Commission that he first injured his back in 2000 and reinjured it during a training exercise in early 2006.
Although Correa is still undergoing rehabilitation from the latest surgery, he remains in control of the department, Fujii said.
During most of his leave time, Correa ran the police department from home using teleconferencing, phone calls and meetings with commanders.
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