Investigators are looking into whether a Honolulu police commissioner committed a felony by bringing a handgun with him on a police ride-along, according to the Honolulu Police Commission.

Police and a retired officer who is an investigator with the commission are investigating an allegation that Mark D. Hunsaker had a loaded handgun with him when he joined three officers in Wai'anae in November as they prepared to shut down a cockfight.

According to one of the three officers on the ride-along, Hunsaker ignored orders to stay in a car and joined the officers with a handgun in a hip holster.

Hunsaker, an accountant with local firm Bowen, Hunsaker and Hirai, was told of the investigation Monday and called the allegations "absolutely false."

"I have never carried a firearm on a ride-along with HPD," said Hunsaker, in an interview yesterday.

Hunsaker, who joins officers on ride-alongs once a week, added that he is a "sworn police officer in another jurisdiction" and that federal law allows him to carry a firearm "anywhere in the country." He declined to say what state, city or federal agency employs him as a law enforcement officer authorized to carry a handgun.

Carrying a concealed weapon without a permit in Hawai'i is a felony. The maximum penalty for a conviction is five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Hunsaker is licensed to own a firearm in Hawai'i but does not have a state license to carry one.

Concealed-carry permits in Hawai'i are rarely granted and must be written and approved by the chief of police or the state Department of Public Safety. They are only granted if the applicant's reasons are "in the best interest of public safety."

WEAPONS FORBIDDEN

Hunsaker's role as a police commissioner does not allow him to carry a gun.

Boyd S. Andrade, chairman of the commission, confirmed the investigation but declined comment. Hunsaker's case will be discussed today during the commission's regularly scheduled meeting.

Hunsaker's attorney, Brook Hart, said the police officer who made the allegation was himself the subject of an Internal Affairs investigation at the time he filed the complaint. He declined to provide any additional information about the officer or elaborate on the complaint.

Hart also said Hunsaker is a sworn police officer in Kansas, where he grew up.

"I am confident that Mark did not engage in this behavior, and that the reporter himself was under investigation at the time he made this claim," Hart said. "The commissioner did not, would not and is not going to carry any guns in his duty as a police commissioner. He is committed to the welfare of our police department and the community."

Hart said when Hunsaker goes on ride-alongs, he wears a Kevlar vest and a utility belt with a holster for a radio and a flashlight. Hart said two of the three police officers on the ride-along told investigators that they saw Hunsaker with a holster, but only one of them claimed he saw a gun.

The commission is made up of Andrade, the chairman; Hunsaker; Charlian Wright; Benjamin Saguibo; Keith Amemiya; Mike McCartney; and Christine H.H. Camp.

FORMED IN 1932

The Honolulu Police Commission was founded in 1932 and is made up of seven individuals appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council.

Hunsaker was appointed by Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

All members serve staggered terms of five years and receive no pay. The commission elects its chairman and vice chairman each year from among its members.

The Police Commission has these mandated responsibilities: