There are no independent oversight boards or citizen review panels in Hawaii, groups that exist in many other cities and play a key role in reviewing officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths.
So when Aaron Torres died in 2012 after three Honolulu police officers held him down, there was no independent review of the circumstances surrounding his death. Civil Beat recently obtained police files in the case, but much of the material had been blacked out.
Pod Squad host Chad Blair talks with reporter Nick Grube and University of Hawaii law professor Ken Lawson about the Torres case and how public oversight of police practices and conduct is lacking in Hawaii.
Read The Death of Aaron Torres: ‘What’s the Big Secret?’ by Grube.
Hit the play button to hear the discussion or subscribe to the Civil Beat Pod Squad on iTunes or Stitcher.
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