HPD Officers Fired For Burglary, Assault And Fraud Could Be Rehired
Discharges are usually challenged and can be bumped down to suspensions, the records show, allowing cops to return to work.
A former Honolulu police officer is facing first-degree burglary charges for allegedly breaking into a woman’s residence, taking away her cellphone so she couldn’t report him, using his work computer to obtain her personal information, and using his police vehicle to cruise her residence.
Metro officer Drae Moon is also accused of failing to immediately surrender his police firearms and ammunition after a no-contact order was issued by the courts.
Moon was fired by the Honolulu Police Department last year, but has filed grievance proceedings over his termination that, if successful, could see him reinstated.
He is one of 23 HPD officers who had disciplinary proceedings initiated against them last year, and one of 10 fired for misconduct in 2025, according to the department’s annual report to the Legislature. That’s two more officers than the department discharged the previous year.
Besides Moon, six other officers are contesting their terminations, a process that can take years to play out. In three other cases, officers who were to be dismissed retired or resigned before they were officially fired.
In all, 19 criminal conduct investigations were initiated in 2025 against the 10 fired cops including allegations of insurance fraud, abuse of household members, theft, tampering with a government record, false reporting, negligent injury and violation of protection orders.
Interim HPD Chief Rade Vanic said in an email that “the annual disciplinary report reflects our commitment to upholding HPD’s standards of conduct. When an officer violates the law, they are also subject to the same legal process as any member of the public, which includes the possibility of a criminal conduct case being initiated.”
The legislative report overall shows an increase last year in disciplinary cases related to personal conduct by HPD officers when off-duty or when interacting with vulnerable victims compared to 2024, which was dominated by charges arising from an unauthorized vehicle pursuit involving five officers dating back to 2021.
Other officers discharged in 2025 include Ej Foster, who engaged in an intimate relationship with a 17-year-old, hid their whereabouts, and lied to his police supervisor about the nature of the relationship.
In a separate instance, Foster failed to turn on his body camera during an arrest, lied about the arrest location and then used his work computer while off-duty to access information about the arrestee.
Ernest-Siosi Aliksa violated court orders of protection and temporary restraining orders filed by his spouse nearly 20 times, and was arrested by fellow HPD officers in July after he fled in a vehicle after they came to detain him over the violations. Three disciplinary proceedings were initiated by HPD against Aliksa prior to his firing.
Also fired was Eli Andrin, who caused “pain and/or injury” to a relative on multiple occasions, and is facing a criminal charge of abuse of a family member. Stephen Lau falsified his work attendance reports and got other officers to help him.
Cheyne Kaninau was discharged after filing a false insurance claim for a highway accident on June 22, 2025, claiming it took place on June 29 to cover up the fact that their insurance had expired at the time of the accident.
Vasai Isala was using a subsidized vehicle when he struck a motorcyclist and then lied about it. When Sheri Taflinger was caught driving under the influence in California, she tried to get the California Highway Patrol supervisor to release her “as a professional courtesy.” She faces charges in that state.
(Taflinger has separately filed a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit against the department, which is scheduled for a jury trial later this year.)
Only one out of the 10 fired in 2025 has appeared in HPD disciplinary reports dating back to 2000, Patrick Akana-Klein, who resigned before being fired for possession of a controlled drug without a prescription. He had served a 20-day suspension in 2022 for a similar drug offense and the abuse of a family member.
Discharges Not Always Permanent
Some cases that resulted in less severe disciplines for officers in 2025 were nevertheless serious.
HPD Officer Duncan Martin was found to have falsified a report that involved drug evidence and got a one-day suspension that he is appealing. He also faces a criminal charge of tampering with a government record.
Brittney Honma failed to properly restrain a prisoner, allowing them to escape, and was suspended for a day.
Dane McCallum received the same suspension for failing to supervise subordinate officers responding to a second-degree murder incident.
A total of 51 cases were listed on the 2025 HPD report, but half of them were older incidents carried over from as far back as 2018. That includes another nine cases where staff were fired from the department but are still in the process of appealing their discharge.
The entries show how officers who are discharged have a path back to full employment.
The president of the state’s police union, Don Faumuina, said in email “It is important to note that many incidents cited in this report remain under review, with final determinations still pending. It is critical that we all support a system that’s built upon the principles of accountability, transparency and fairness.”
Three officers who showed up as having been fired on the department’s 2024 disciplinary report but had appeals pending ended up serving a suspension instead, the 2025 report shows.
Those include James Baik, who had been in arbitration over his discharge in 2023 after a botched vehicle pursuit. He ended up serving a 180-day suspension after arbitration found there was insufficient evidence that he had lied during the subsequent investigation.
Officer Mariah Ah Tou was discharged in 2024 for driving under the influence and colliding with another vehicle and a street sign. She was ultimately suspended for 101 days before returning to work.
And Cornell Munalem had a discharge reduced to a 20-day suspension, after failing to keep his body camera on during a major vehicle collision investigation. Claims that he had falsified police reports were dismissed.
Six officers were disciplined for failing to activate their body cameras in 2025, including Kaimiike Aguiar who failed to activate a camera that was not even assigned to them, complicating the subsequent investigation.
HPD’s disciplinary record for 2026 will likely include the fallout from the arrest of two HPD officers in the past week, who are now on restricted duty. Chad Fuller was arrested early Sunday morning for driving under the influence after running a red light and hitting a guardrail, and Keone Kissinger was arrested Tuesday for abuse of a family member, the second time since Jan. 22.
