Last night, state Representative Kaniela Ing, D–South Maui, released a statement on his July 26 arrest on a $250 traffic infraction bench warrant issued back in February of this year. Here’s Ing’s statement, in full:

I deeply apologize for missing the notice and court date while on Oahu for legislative work. I will accept full responsibility for whatever outcome transpires, and apologize to my constituents for any embarrassment I have caused. This was a stupid mistake, it was a human mistake, and a lesson has been learned.

I was cited in January for failure to produce proof of insurance for a vehicle, which I had recently canceled due to my car needing repairs. I was ticketed while trying to fix my car outside of my home in Kihei. I planned on disputing charges.

A notice for me to appear in court for the infraction was sent in the mail, but I did not see it due to session on Oahu, only checking my Maui box on my weekends home, and receiving a high volume of mail. Yesterday, I was served with a bench warrant for not appearing at a hearing for the proof of insurance violation. I resolved the matter and will appear in court on August 25. I commend the Maui Police Department and court officers for their professional handling of yesterday’s events.

Today, the Maui Police Department also released Ing’s booking photo. It’s at the top of this post.

Ing is currently running for reelection; Democrat Deidre Tegarden is challenging him in the upcoming Aug. 13 Primary Election.

Click here for our July 27 story on how we discovered the bench warrant and the events that lead Ing to finally deal with it.

Photo courtesy Maui Police Department

The post South Maui Rep. Kaniela Ing releases statement on arrest; MPD releases booking photo appeared first on Maui Time.

State Representative Kaniela Ing, D–South Maui, is only now dealing with a bench warrant dating Feb. 18 of this year, after MauiTime inquired on the matter. The $250 warrant was issued by the Second District Court after Ing missed a court hearing on a citation for lacking motor vehicle insurance back on Jan. 18, court records show.

MauiTime discovered the bench warrant after receiving an anonymous email on the morning of July 26, allegedly written by one of Ing’s neighbors. “3 cops cars came to my neighbor Kaneila’s [sic] house today and the cops said they had warrant for him but the family said he not home and he was supposed to come back but he never so they left our side of Mehani Circle to look for him if he was signwaving down Piilani,” stated the email.

Maui Police spokesperson Lt. Gregg Okamoto said he “cannot confirm” that any officers attempted to contact Ing on the morning of July 26. By phone that morning, Ing also said he knew nothing of any police officers who were allegedly trying to see him. Though he said he was “advised by an attorney not to say too much,” he did talk in general terms about what had happened regarding the bench warrant.

“My car was vandalized a few months ago,” he said, expressing considerable remorse. “Since then I’ve been borrowing peoples’ cars.”

Ing said that on Jan. 18, the car was parked in the street and he was working on it when a Maui Police Officer came by and told him he couldn’t work on the car on a public street. It was then, Ing told MauiTime, that the police officer discovered that the car lacked insurance.

“The insurance had expired,” Ing said around noon on July 26. “I thought it was cool, and that everything was dealt with, but I’m dealing with it now.”

A couple hours later, Ing called back and said he had set a new court date of Aug. 25 to deal with the matter. 

Ing, first elected in 2012, is currently locked in a pretty tough Primary Election battle with Democrat Deidre Tegarden who so far raised considerably more campaign contributions (much of which came from big land developers, builders and construction unions) than Ing. The most recent campaign finance reports show that Tegarden has so far pulled in more than $81,000 in contributions this election, compared to Ing’s $45,000, but the reports also show that Tegarden has spent virtually all of it. She currently has about $9,000 in the bank compared to Ing’s $37,000.

The anonymous July 26 email was also apparently sent to Maui News Publisher Joe Bradley, but that paper has as yet published nothing on the matter. On the afternoon of July 27, The Maui News reported that Ing was arrested yesterday at 12:45pm on the outstanding bench warrant. This was shortly before Ing called me back that afternoon to say he had a new court date set for Aug. 25

Photo courtesy Kaniela Ing’s 2012 campaign

The post UPDATED: South Maui Rep. Kaniela Ing deals with traffic bench warrant after MauiTime inquiry appeared first on Maui Time.

It’s been about a year since the Maui Police Department’s last field test of body cameras, and the department is now conducting another field test of officer body cameras. It began on July 8 and will run for a month.

“Beginning Friday, July 8, 2016, the Plans, Training, Research & Development Section of the Maui Police Department will conduct a one month feasibility study on the use of the body-worn camera,” stated a July 8 Maui PD news release. “The body-worn camera will be field tested by officers in the various Patrol Districts. The results of the study will assist the Maui Police Department in making informed decisions about the implementation of this technology.”

While last year’s study used Axon cameras (click here for our story on the “results” of that test, such as they were), the MPD will deploy body-worn cameras by VIEVU this time around. “Use of this camera is not indicative of any future use or decision to solely utilize this camera,” states the news release. The department will also field-test other types of in the coming months.

As the MPD tests various body cameras, the powerful State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO) has sparred with Kauai County over that department’s deployment of body cameras. In fact, SHOPO filed a complaint with the Hawaii Sate Labor Relations Board on Jan. 11, 2016 against the Kauai PD over their use of the cameras, though the board eventually ruled in the Kauai PD’s favor, according to this KHON story.

Photo of VIEVU camera courtesy Maui Police Department

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Illustration: Andrew Miller

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Let’s talk briefly about Senate Bill 2439, introduced by Sen. Gil Keith-Agaran, D–Kahului. It reaffirms the public’s right to record or photograph “a law enforcement officer while the officer is in the performance of the officer’s duties in a public place or under circumstances in which the officer has no reasonable expectation of privacy.”

Not too long ago, we would have simply said that such a bill, though nice, wasn’t necessary because in 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right of the public to film police officers in public places. But then in February of this year, federal District Court Judge Mark Kearney ruled there was, in fact, no First Amendment right to film police officers (a ruling Washington Post columnist Radley Balko called “bizarre” in a Feb. 23 story).

Sigh. According to Hawaii News Now, Keith-Agaran stepped into this maelstrom of legal uncertainty by introducing SB 2439 because of MauiTime Publisher Tommy Russo’s arrest back in November 2012 for photographing Maui Police Officers on Haleakala Highway (a judge later threw out the case, though prosecutors have appealed the ruling).

“State Sen. Gil Keith-Agaran introduced the bill that reaffirms the public’s right to take video or pictures of police in public spaces,” Hawaii News Now reported on Apr. 21. “To underscore the need for the measure, he pointed to a 2012 incident, in which a Maui newspaper publisher was arrested for filming a traffic stop. ‘We wanted to make it clear that yeah, that’s something that you can do, so long as your [sic] not interfering with the actual operations of the police,’ said Kahele [sic], whose district includes Wailuku and Kahului.”

Given such uncertainty over what we feel is a genuine right of the public to hold law enforcement in check, bills like SB 2439 can help out. Of course, in terms of real law enforcement reform, the bill doesn’t come close to SB 3016–the bill we were really hoping would pass this session. That bill would have repealed “the confidentiality protection afforded under the Uniform Information Practices Act for certain information regarding misconduct of police officers that results in suspension.”

But it’s been bottled up in the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee–chaired by Keith-Agaran–since early February. Of course, given that similar bills have met that same fate in recent years, we weren’t holding out much hope this year, but it’s still a necessary and vital reform that needs to become law.

Photo of former Maui Police Officer Keith Taguma: MauiTime

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Starting today, look for more Maui Police officers–and DUI checkpoints–on the roads than usual. That’s because the MPD is starting their annual St. Patrick’s Day Impaired Driving Enforcement Campaign, which will run through Sunday, Mar. 20, according to a Mar. 14 MPD news release.

“Tragically, March 17 has become one of the nation’s deadliest holidays, with a dramatic spike in drunk-driving fatalities,” states the news release. “Because of this The Maui Police Department will be conducting a Saint Patrick’s Day Impaired Driving Prevention Campaign this Tuesday through Sunday. We would like to support a safe and responsible celebration for the community we serve, and by concentrating our traffic enforcement efforts on impaired driving offenses during this period we hope to do just that. Motorist[s] can expect to see increased saturation patrols during all hours of the day and night which will include the use of unmarked patrol vehicles and sobriety checkpoints at various locations.”

The MPD news release also helpfully included some tips on staying safe this holiday season:

According to this KHON2 story, last year’s MPD St. Patrick’s Day effort resulted in 344 citations, as well as nine arrests for driving under the influence.

Photo: Rob Young/Wikimedia Commons

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1. Which of the following bills did NOT recently pass the Hawaii House of Representatives, according to a Mar. 3 press release from the state House?

A. HB 1814: Appropriates funds to provide training and track data on public school pupil punishment and use of restraints restrictions.

B. HB 1958: Provides a General Excise Tax exemption for low-income rental subsidies including those from the Housing First programs.

C. HB 2252: Requires hospitals to adopt and maintain discharge policies.

D. HB 2397: Creates a commission to study the popular election of judges.

E. HB 2491: Appropriates funds for programs, ceremonies and activities commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War.

2. Last week, a 66-year-old Maui resident “was cleaning a weapon when he accidentally shot himself,” according to a Mar. 2 Maui Police press release. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. In which town did this shooting occur?

A. Kihei

B. Kahului

C. Pukalani

D. Makawao

E. Wailuku

3. Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa wants the county to make it illegal for people to sit and/or lie on public sidewalks–a measure the ACLU’s Hawaii office “strongly opposes,” according to the Mar. 5 Maui News. Honolulu already passed a similar law in what year?

A. 2015

B. 2014

C. 2013

D. 2012

E. 2011

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1: D–HB 2397: Creates a commission to study the popular election of judges.

2: C–Pukalani

3: B–2014

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The post Quizunderstood: How well do you know Hawaii’s history with sit-lie laws against homelessness? appeared first on Maui Time.

Sorry we’re a little late in posting this latest Maui Police Department press release on the latest officer they’ve arrested for something, but yesterday was press day. Anyway, here’s what the department posted yesterday (you can now get MPD press releases delivered to you direct by clicking here):

On 02/16/16 at 3:22 p.m., Carlos FRATE (31) from Kihei, was arrested for violating a Warning Citation. Frate is a sworn officer of the Maui Police Department with over 5 years of service and currently assigned to the Kihei Patrol District. The Warning Citation was issued as a result of an Abuse of Family and or Household Member investigation.

FRATE was arrested and charged for Violation of a Warning Citation. He was released after posting $1,000.00 bail. He is assigned to Desk Duties.

Frate hasn’t exactly gotten a lot of press in his five years with the department, though we were able to find this Jan. 7, 2012 Maui News story on a Molokai assault case he handled. His name is also mentioned in this Feb. 19, 2011 Maui News story on his MPD recruit class.

Photo courtesy Maui Police Department

The post Maui Police arrest another of their own officers, this time over alleged abuse of family member appeared first on Maui Time.

Back in October, when stories of Maui Police officers getting arrested for all manner of alleged crimes seemed to pop up in the news on a nearly weekly basis, we called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to just take a can-opener to the department.

“If there was ever a time for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to start looking into the Maui PD, it’s now,” we said in an Oct. 22, 2015 story titled “Maui Confidential.” At the time of that story, the MPD had just arrested (or re-arrested) two of their own for alleged theft and bribing a witness: Officers Chase Keliipaakaua and Anthony Maldonado (a few other officers were arrested in separate cases, mostly dealing with alleged drunk driving).

Chief Tivoli Faaumu had also taken the unprecedented step of releasing a public video statement in an attempt to reassure the public that his department would hold any officer “accountable, both criminally and internally.” While a nice gesture, it struck us as too little, too late, and we wanted far stronger action.

“It’s time to call in the FBI and get an outside, unbiased look at what’s going on inside the Maui Police Department,” we wrote. “At this point, that’s the only way we can hold the MPD accountable.”

According to Hawaii News Now, it would seem that the FBI agreed with us.

“The FBI has taken over a theft and bribery case involving multiple Maui police officers, Hawaii News Now has learned,” the news station reported yesterday. “University of Hawaii Law Professor Ken Lawson says the FBI coming in will eliminate any concerns about a conflict of interest. ‘You don’t want local police investigating local police,’ says Lawson, who believes the FBI are looking at a number of possible charges. ‘It could be for civil rights violations.'”

The Hawaii News Now story also states that “sources” allege a third Maui Police officer is “connected to the case,” but provide no names other than the two officers cited above.

Click here to read the Hawaii News Now story.

FBI Seal: Wikipedia

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So the state Legislature went back into session this week, and that means a steady stream of news over the next few months about new bills that may or may not improve our lives. One of the earliest out of the gate is House Bill 1738, which deals with police body cameras–a subject near and dear to our hearts.

The Maui Police Department flirted with body cameras last year, and even fielded a small number of cameras as part of a test, but hasn’t yet committed to the technology. The Kauai Police Department, to the consternation of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO, which like most police unions, isn’t a fan of the cameras), is fielding body cameras right now.

The cameras have great potential to increase accountability of cops, but could also cause considerable damage to civil liberties. State Rep. Matthew LoPresti, D–Ewa Beach (the lawmaker who first introduced HB 1738) is hopeful about the former, but seems justifiably concerned about the latter.

“In this age of social media and ubiquitous technology, the individual’s right to privacy has been assaulted on nearly every front, and we are finding that our laws have either become outdated or fail to even address 21st century privacy issues,” LoPresti said in a Jan. 20 House of Representatives news release. “[B]ody cameras have the potential of denying ordinary citizens their right to privacy and being abused in unintended ways,” “We have to guard against such invasions of privacy, even at the expense of convenience and other efficiencies.”

LoPresti’s bill–which was introduced by 16 other lawmakers, including Maui County Representatives Joe Souki, Lynn DeCoite, Kyle Yamashita and Kaniela Ing–includes a variety of mandates concerning police cameras:

• Officers must wear cameras in visible places on their person.
• Officers must turn on the camera whenever he or she “responds to a call for service” and/or “at the initiation of any law enforcement or investigative encounter between a law enforcement officer and a member of the public.”
• “The body camera shall not be deactivated until the call for service or encounter has fully concluded and the law enforcement officer leaves the scene.”
• Officers must “notify the subjects of the video footage” that they’re being filmed.

Further, the bill requires police agencies to store all body camera footage for at least six months, and in the case of footage of that includes a use of force, anything related to a felony-level case or anything that’s the subject of a complaint, at least three years.

This all sounds great. What isn’t great is that we could find nothing in the bill requiring police departments to make body camera footage public, which greatly diminishes its use in keeping cops accountable.

Click here for our 2015 primer on law enforcement body cameras.

Photo courtesy Maui Police Department

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Pono is alive! My husband and I, who live full time on the Westside, were relaxing at Airport Beach last week. The next morning, a police officer came walking up our driveway towards my husband. The officer asked him his name, and then if he was missing any electronic devices. We didn’t know, but he then asked if owned a Kindle. Turns out that an honest couple found my husband’s Kindle on the grass and turned it in to the police department. The officer took the time to look through the device for a name, looked it up on computer to find his driver’s license and address, then hand delivered it to our home. He said that it was the nice part of his job. Big Mahalo to the nice officer and to couple who found it. If only there were more people like them.

Illustration: Ron Pitts

The post Eh, nice Maui police officer who keeps Pono alive! appeared first on Maui Time.

1. The average hotel occupancy rate in Hawaii over Christmas week was 82.5 percent, according to a Jan. 1 Pacific Business News blog post. What was the occupancy rate for Maui County hotels during that week?

A. 83.7 percent

B. 82.8 percent

C. 81.0 percent

D. 80.6 percent

E. 79.9 percent

2. On Jan. 3 the County of Maui announced that a public 50-meter pools would close for structural repairs until June. Where is the pool?

A. Kahului Pool

B. Kihei Aquatic Center

C. Coach Sakamoto Pool

D. Lahaina Aquatic Center

E. Upcountry Pool

3. The Maui Police Department deployed a special motorcycle unit out of the Kihei station this week, according to the Jan. 2 Maui News. How many officers are in the unit?

A. 8

B. 7

C. 6

D. 5

E. 4

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1: E–79.9 percent

2: B–Kihei Aquatic Center

3: D–5

Photo: Joe Parks/Flickr

The post QuizUnderstood: How well do you know Maui’s hotel occupancy rate? appeared first on Maui Time.

Calling it a victory for free speech, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Hawaii office announced yesterday that the County of Maui has dropped its appeal of a First Amendment case. The case involved Maui pastor Strat Goodhue and his wife, who in 2013 were handing out religious pamphlets on a public sidewalk outside the Maui Fair when Maui Police Officers asked them to move (click here for our 2014 story on the lawsuit).

“As part of the settlement agreement, the County of Maui has dropped its appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and, for three years, will conduct additional specialized training for current and new Maui Police Department (“MPD”) officers on upholding the 1st Amendment in public spaces,” stated the Nov. 19 ACLU Hawaii news release. “After the case was filed, the County of Maui had in turn sued the Maui Fair (“Fair”), whose insurance carrier will pay damages and court costs.”

The incident, according to the ACLU, went down like this: “At the direction of Fair organizers, an MPD officer ordered the Goodhues to leave not just the Fair area, but other nearby public sidewalks as well,” stated the ACLU news release. “The ACLU and the law firm of Davis Levin Livingston filed a federal court lawsuit shortly thereafter.”

Of course, Maui County Corporation Counsel Pat “The Gambler” Wong took issue with that. “Maui Police responded to a complaint from Maui Fair officials that Pastor Strat Goodhue and his wife Doreen were handing out literature on the sidewalk just outside of the main fairground entrance, blocking people on the sidewalk and forcing pedestrians to step into the street,” Wong said in a statement released a few hours after the ACLU press release. “An officer approached the Goodhues after receiving the complaints and asked if they would be willing to move to another area to pass out their literature. The Goodhues agreed and moved to a different location.”

Wong also (predictably) defended the MPD. “The ACLU’s inference that the county settled this case because Maui Police officers are not trained in these matters is a misrepresentation of the facts,” Wong said in his statement. “All Maui Police Department officers have received training in constitutional rights, including those of the First Amendment.”

Ha! In 2011, a Maui police officer assaulted MauiTime publisher Tommy Russo as he tried to photograph the cop. In 2012, two other Maui police officers arrested Russo after he tried to film them carrying out a traffic stop (a judge later threw that case out, but the county insists it will appeal the ruling). Both were incidents in which Maui police officers clearly didn’t believe Russo had a First Amendment right to photograph cops in public.

For their part, the ACLU’s attorneys clearly think the MPD needs more training in this matter (hence the word “additional” next to “training” in their press release, clearly implying that the MPD already receives constitutional training).

“What happened to the Goodhues was wrong,” said attorney Matthew Winter of Davis Levin Livingston in the ACLU’s news release. “The County of Maui and its police have a sworn duty to uphold and protect the free speech rights of everyone on the Valley Isle, and we are hopeful in this victory that renewed focus on these rights and the additional First Amendment training for all MPD officers required as part of the settlement means fundamental rights will now be respected.”

Photo courtesy Strat Goodhue’s Facebook page

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The arrest happened way back on Halloween, but the Maui Police Department just announced that they arrested Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes at the Four Seasons Wailea for alleged spousal abuse. Here’s the MPD news release on Reyes:

On 10/31/15 at about 2:22 p.m., Mr. Jose Reyes (32), of Old Brookville, New York; was arrested and charged for Abuse of a Family and/or Household Member.

Mr. Reyes arrest stemmed from an incident that was reported at the Four Seasons Resort in Wailea, Maui. Mr. Reyes and his wife were involved in an argument that turned physical and resulted in injuries. Mrs. Reyes was treated by medics at the scene and later transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center for further treatment.

Mr. Reyes was issued a Warning Citation to not have any contact with his wife for three (3) days.

Mr. Reyes posted $1,000.00 bail and was released.

The MPD news release is short on details, but Hawaii News Now is reporting that Reyes “and his wife, Katherine, were allegedly arguing in their Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea room that afternoon.” Hawaii News Now is further reporting that Reyes’ wife apparently “told responding officers that Reyes grabbed her off the bed and shoved her. Sources say she also told police that he grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door.”

In any case, here’s the Colorado Rockies’ official statement on Reyes’ arrest:

Colorado Rockies statement regarding Jose Reyes: pic.twitter.com/bCeMxRzune

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) November 10, 2015

CBS Sports is also reporting that because Major League Baseball instituted a new domestic violence policy earlier this year, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred can discipline Reyes. Here’s MLB’s statement on Reyes, as posted by CBS Sports:

As evidenced by our Joint Domestic Violence Policy, Major League Baseball understands the seriousness of the issues surrounding domestic violence, and our Policy explicitly recognizes the harm resulting from such acts. Consistent with the terms of this Policy, the Commissioner’s Office already has begun its investigation into the facts and circumstances. Any action taken by the Commissioner’s Office in this matter will be wholly in accordance with this Policy.

Crappy booking photo of Jose Reyes courtesy Maui PD

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1. This Halloween, an estimated 20,000-25,000 people visited Front Street in Lahaina, according to the Maui Police Department. How many arrests did the MPD make that night?

A. 3

B. 7

C. 11

D. 15

E. 21

2. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released on Oct. 28, average wages in Hawaii range from $918/week in Honolulu to $763/week in Hawaii County. According to the data, what is Maui County’s average wage?

A. $773/week

B. $788/week

C. $811/week

D. $847/week

E. $881/week

3. On Nov. 1, the University of Hawaii fired head football coach Norm Chow. After four seasons at UH, Chow leaves with an overall 10-36 record. According to Pacific Business News, what was Chow’s salary?

A. $222,000/year

B. $322,000/year

C. $422,000/year

D. $522,000/year

E. $622,000/year

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1: A–3

2: B–$788/week

3: D–$522,000/year

Photo of Norm Chow: Wikimedia Commons

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[This story has been updated to include Maui Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu’s Oct. 22 video message to the public.]

It’s another week, and that means another Maui Police Officer has been busted for some form of criminal behavior. If there was ever a time for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to start looking into the Maui PD, it’s now. In fact, things are so bad that Maui Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu himself recorded a 1:29 video message to the public on Oct. 22 (click here to see it posted on MauiWatch). Though a good gesture that’s clearly meant to reassure the public, it actually reinforces the notion that something is dreadfully wrong at the department.

“I want to reassure the public that wrongdoing by members of the department, such as corruption, will not be tolerated,” Faaumu says in the message, which oddly opens and closes with almost whimsical music. “Any employee that violates the law will be held accountable, both criminally and internally.”

What prompted Faaumu’s message was the following press release, sent out by his department on Oct. 21:

On 10/21/15 at about 09:00 a.m., Chase K. Keliipaakaua (29), from Kihei, was placed under arrest for the offense of Bribery Of A Witness and Hindering Prosecution In The First Degree. Keliipaakaua has been a sworn police officer with the Maui Police Department with about 6 years of service. He was released pending further investigation. In addition, an Administrative Investigation was initiated and he has been assigned to desk duties.

Though the email containing the press release stated that “no other information [was] available,” the information about Keliipaakaua’s arrest was helpfully attached to a previous press release sent out earlier this month on Maui Police Officer Anthony Maldonado’s arrest for second degree theft (he was also later re-arrested for bribery of a witness and hindering prosecution, just like Keliipaakaua).

In the last six months or so, this brings the grand total of Maui Police Officers arrested for allegedly committing crimes up to four. In addition to Keliipaakaua and Maldonado (who at least had the decency to smile like a bro in his booking photo), the MPD arrested Officer Rachel Garvin at the end of May for allegedly driving under the influence and Officer John Salomon in June for also driving under the influence and (reportedly) for nine counts of indecent exposure in Pukalani (Salomon was also arrested in June in Newport Beach, California for allegedly being drunk in public).

Yes, I know there are more 470 personnel working at the Maui Police Department. And, as Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa pointed out in his “Ask the Mayor” column back in June, “problem employees can be found in any workplace.”

But I also know–and pretty much everyone on Maui knows–that the Maui Police Department is not “any workplace.” Maui cops carry guns and badges that allow them to use those guns–to use deadly force–on members of the public deemed to be threats. Maui police officers have access to military-style weapons, training and a giant armored truck known as a Bearcat.

We often talk of holding police “to a higher standard”–of expecting them to behave like the guardians of the rule of law that (at least in theory) they are. The thing about the above arrests isn’t that they represent a tiny fraction of the overall force, but that they’re happening at all. Where law enforcement is concerned, a single criminal cop tarnishes the entire department.

“Hold them [the police] accountable,” retired MPD cop Lawrence Kauha‘aha‘a told Wailuku residents and merchants during an Oct. 20 Maui Redevelopment Agency meeting on the town’s new “safety ambassador” program. “They know their job.”

When multiple cops have been accused of the very serious crime of bribing witnesses and obstructing prosecutions, we need to take Kauha‘aha‘a’s advice seriously. We’re way beyond Arakawa’s “bad apples” view of discipline. It’s time to call in the FBI and get an outside, unbiased look at what’s going on inside the Maui Police Department. At this point, that’s the only way we can hold the MPD accountable.

Chase Keliipaakaua’s booking photo courtesy Maui Police Department

The post UPDATED–Maui Confidential: Yet another Maui cop arrested for allegedly bribing a witness appeared first on Maui Time.

1. The Obama Administration has selected Maui County Councilmember Elle Cochran to serve on what federal committee, according to an Oct. 15 Maui County Council press release?

A. National Highways Council’s coordinating committee

B. National Ocean Council’s governance coordinating committee

C. National Education Fund’s local policy committee

D. National Healthcare Council’s county steering committee

E. National Environmental Council’s rules committee

2. On Oct. 1, Maui Police arrested Anthony Maldonado, who is also a Maui police officer, for second degree theft. Then on Oct. 15, Maui Police arrested Maldonado again. On what charge(s) did they arrest him the second time?

A. Bribery of a witness

B. First degree theft

C. Hindering prosecution

D. All of the above

E. A and C only

3. On Oct. 19, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations announced that the unemployment rate for Molokai in September, 2015 was 9.0 percent. What was the unemployment rate for Molokai during September 2014?

A. 9.5 percent

B. 10.6 percent

C. 12.3 percent

D. 15.2 percent

E. 17.1 percent

See answers below:

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

ANSWERS

1: B–National Ocean Council’s governance coordinating committee

2: E–A and C only

3: D–15.2 percent

Photo of Elle Cochran courtesy County of Maui

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Reason #739 that the Mainland U.S. is Lame and Maui is No Ka Oi: we make otherwise clear reporting on police misconduct into a fun game for all ages (well, except for babies who can’t read and people who always vote for Ralph Nader–they’re never any fun). Normally we only get to play a couple times a year, but lately it seems that we’ve been playing once a week.

Our latest chance came this weekend with a rare double-header. First up was the Oct. 2 Maui News story “Police department internal investigations lead to 5 suspensions.” Now on the Mainland, a story like this would probably include little details like the names of police officers who were busted for wrong-doing and maybe some clues here and there about the exact nature of their transgressions. But not here! On Maui, that would be too easy–it’s all about making people guess about the cops sworn to serve and protect.

“An officer was suspended for three days after a motor vehicle collision in August 2014,” reported The Maui News (which also plays the game by not running a byline on stories like these, forcing the reader to try to figure out which staffer might have written it). “The officer responded in an unauthorized emergency mode, failed to yield and caused a collision with another vehicle, police said. Another three-day suspension was ordered for an officer who failed to properly complete numerous reports on time in March 2014. A two-day suspension was ordered for an officer who failed to properly evaluate a subordinate and slept on duty in September 2014.”

Unauthorized emergency mode! Failure to complete reports! Sleeping duty! Man, the Maui Police Department sounds like a great place to work. And which still-active Maui Police Officers did all these things is a big mystery that we, the taxpaying public, gets to figure out because, as The Maui News always says, “The names of the officers were not made public.”

But I digress. See, unlike every other government agency in the State of Hawaii, police departments are exempt from having to tell the public the names of employees busted for misconduct. Where’s the fun in that?

And even when a Maui Police Officer actually commits a crime–making the misconduct a true matter of public record–the MPD still wants to make it a game. Like they did with their Oct. 2 press release.

On 10/01/15, at approximately 6:38 p.m., Anthony Maldonado (26) of Makawao was placed under arrest for the offense of Theft in the Second Degree. Maldonado has been a sworn police officer with the Maui Police Department with just under five years of service. He was released pending further investigation. In addition, an Administrative Investigation was initiated and the he was placed on leave.

Now that’s it–the whole press release (minus the smiling mug of his booking photo, of course). If you’re like, I don’t know, a normal person, then you probably read that and said something like, “damn, that’s messed up. What did he [allegedly] steal?”

Who knows? Who cares? I asked the MPD that very question, and they haven’t said yet. I hope they don’t, because then it will ruin the game. See, we have to guess what he took, and that’s fun! Well, it’s more fun than thinking about the Maui cops who’ve been given guns and badges that authorize them to use those guns on us who then turn around and do things like allegedly drive while drunk (Officer Rachel Garvin), flash pedestrians (Officer John Salomon) and steal things (Officer Anthony Maldonado).

Anthony Maldonado booking photo: Maui Police Department

The post Let’s Play The Maui Police Misconduct Game! appeared first on Maui Time.

Man, police work is hard. Especially here on Maui. And nothing better illustrates this than the case of John Salomon, ex-Maui Police Officer.

According to today’s Maui News, Salomon is officially being charged with nine counts of allegedly exposing himself in Pukalani back on May 30. Nine counts–one of which involves Salomon allegedly exposing his genitals to a minor.

“Beginning shortly before 1 p.m. that day, police reported receiving ‘numerous calls regarding a male exposing his genitals and masturbating in a vehicle’ at the parking lots of Pukalani Terrace Center and Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center across the street,” The Maui News reported. “The suspect was driving a green Toyota 4Runner, police said.”

At the time, the identity of the perp remained unknown–or rather, unsaid. On June 3, Hawaii News Now reported that “multiple sources” told them that the Pukalani Flasher was a cop. “Multiple sources tell Hawaii News Now the man accused of exposing himself on Maui over the weekend is a Maui County police officer,” Hawaii News Now reported. “Police confirm five separate sexual assault in the fourth degree cases were initiated, but witnesses are upset because they say nothing has been done.”

And nothing was done. But about a week after that Hawaii News Now story came out, the Maui PD announced that they’d just arrested one of their own–John Salomon–for alleged drunk driving. Speculation flew around social media that Salomon was also the Pukalani Flasher, but the MPD kept its mouth shut. It was the same when Salomon got himself arrested again on June 27, this time for allegedly being drunk in public in Newport Beach, California.

The Pukalani Flasher case just kinda went away. Until today–more than three months after it allegedly happened–we finally find out that the MPD is alleging that Salomon is, in fact, the Pukalani Flasher.

Oh, and The Maui News also reported the MPD fired him. Salomon will be arraigned on Oct. 1, according to The Maui News.

Like we said: police work is very hard.

Photo of former MPD Officer John Salomon courtesy Maui Police Department

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The Maui Police Department has posted a new “Citizen’s Survey” online, and they want you–yeah, YOU–to fill it out.

“We encourage the public to participate in this survey to assist the Department in improving services to the community,” stated a Sept. 1 MPD news release.

It’s part of a move by the department to “improve services” throughout the county. “In the interest of improving services to the community, the Maui Police Department is conducting this citizen survey to evaluate public attitudes and opinions pertaining to the level of law enforcement services provided,” states the survey itself. “The results will be used to identify specific ways to better serve the community.”

And the department insists that the public need not fear retribution for their honesty. “No attempt will be made to match your answers to your name,” states the survey. “You will remain anonymous unless you wish to identify yourself.”

Here are some sample questions taken directly from the survey:

How safe do you feel in your neighborhood?

How many times have you had contact with an MPD employee in the last year?

Based on your personal contact with MPD, did the employee treat you fairly?

Overall, how satisfied are you with the attitudes and behavior of MPD employees towards citizens?

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