How A Honolulu Man’s Plight Led To Calls For Police To Give Notice After Warrantless Searches
Should Hawaii Overhaul How It Investigates Police Shootings?
Wednesday, December 1The Power Of SHOPO: Here’s How The Police Union Contract Drives Public Policy
Convicted Cop In Kealoha Case Gets His Job Back In Arbitration
Tuesday, November 23The Prosecution Of Police Misconduct Cases Essentially Stopped During The Pandemic
Monday, November 15Police Arbitration Decisions Are Raising Concerns Throughout The Country
Sunday, November 14This Deputy Sheriff Was Twice Accused Of Sex Assault And Fired. Then He Got His Job Back
Wednesday, November 10In Hawaii, Punishment For Bad Cops Often Doesn’t Stick. Here’s Why
HPD’s Loose Pursuit Policy Leads To Crashes In A Third Of Chases
Tuesday, October 26Hawaii May Not Set Minimum Qualifications For Police Until 2024
Monday, October 25New Video Allegedly Shows Honolulu Police Leaving Scene Of Makaha Crash
Thursday, October 14HPD Reviewing New Bodycam Policy After Judge’s Ruling
Protection For A Price: Waikiki Businesses Pay Extra For Police
Thursday, September 23Big Island Police Killings Often Involve Troubled Victims And Guns — And The Number Has Spiked
Monday, September 20How An Arbitrator’s Decision Can Cause Problems For Police Agencies Years Later
Friday, September 17Hawaii Supreme Court: The Public Has A ‘Compelling’ Interest In Knowing About Police Misconduct
Thursday, September 2How The Hawaii Supreme Court Has Shaped Policing In The State
Cockfights And Corruption: How Police Arbitration Kept This Cop On The Job
Monday, August 23The Brady List: Why Police Are Supposed To Tell Prosecutors About Dishonest Cops
Other States Have Tough Police Standards Boards. Hawaii’s Is Still Struggling
Friday, July 2Proposals Seek Stronger Oversight Of Police On Maui
Blangiardi Has Chosen A Third Police Commission Nominee But He’s Not Revealing Who It Is
Thursday, June 10Amid Scrutiny Of HPD’s Fatal Shooting Of Teenager, Police Union Defends Officers
Wednesday, June 9Family Of Man Killed By HPD Wants Officer To Face Criminal Charges
Monday, June 7Honolulu Joins A National Debate: When Should Police Bodycam Footage Be Released?
Thursday, June 3HPD Officer At The Center Of A $1 Million Wrongful Death Settlement Has A History Of Complaints
Tuesday, June 1HPD’s Use Of Lethal Force Is Near The US Average. But There’s Far More To The Story
Honolulu Police Don’t Always Turn On Their Body Cams. That Needs To Change, Commissioners Say
Tuesday, May 11Hawaii Police Shootings Board Says It Will Step Up Its Work
Monday, May 10Hawaii Police Shootings Review Board Has At Least A Dozen Cases
Honolulu Prosecutor Promises Independent Investigations Into Police Shootings
Wednesday, April 28The City Council passed a resolution requesting that HPD inform residents after doing warrantless searches when they’re away.
It doesn’t appear Hawaii will create an independent agency to investigate police shootings, a step states like Washington have already taken.
The statewide police union plays an outsized role in everything from police shootings to investigating officer misconduct. But the public is kept in the dark about important issues being negotiated in the contract.
Daniel Sellers was indicted along with the former HPD police chief and his prosecutor wife in 2017. After taking a plea deal, he was fired by the department.
More than 500 complaints were made against HPD employees last year, leading to recommendations for dozens of firings and suspensions.
Hawaii has one of the highest rates of fired officers getting their jobs back through arbitration but other communities are facing the same issue.
The deputy has already put the state on the hook for more than $7 million in damages, a case that revealed shortcomings in the jail’s practices for handling women prisoners.
A Civil Beat investigation found that arbitrators in Hawaii overturn a police chief’s decision to suspend or fire an officer nearly 65% of the time.
Honolulu leaves it up to officers when to start a chase. That’s unusual, a Civil Beat review shows, and many HPD pursuits would not be allowed in other jurisdictions.