Waching daily Jan 7 2017

AFTER 33 YEARS OF SERVICE,

HONOLULU'S

POLICE CHIEF WILL RETIRE.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME THIS

TIME THIS WEEK.

LAST MONTH, CHIEF LOUIS KEALOHA

PLACED HIMSELF ON RESTRICTED

A FEDERAL GRAND JURY IS

POLICE

DEPARTMENT OVER AN ALLEGED

MAILBOX

THEFT INVOLVING THE CHIEF'S

WIFE.. WHO'S

A DEPUTY PROSECUTOR.

ANNOUNCEMENT.

BUT WE BEGIN WITH BRIGETTE

NAMATA,

WHO SPOKE WITH KEALOHA'S

ATTORNEY

FOR AN INTERVIEW YOU'LL SEE ONLY

ON 2.

MARISA, DASH, THE CHIEF'S

ATTORNEY

TELLS ME WHILE KEALOHA

The Police Commission Chairman's

statement

was brief and to the point:

"The chief has um...agreed to

retire."

"- and we wish him well on his

Myles Breiner, the chief's

attorney, tells me the split

was mutual.

He says the Chief did meet

with commissioners

privately, sometime after

Wednesday, to discuss

his future with HPD.

"Brigette: How is he handling

all of this?

Myles: Certainly the chief is

disappointed he's taking

with Always Investigating's Gina

Mangieri.

GINA: "Should you be doing your

job or stepping

aside until it's over?

01;53;16;48 That's a good

question and here's the

answer. I'm no different than

any other officer

whether it's in the top

administration and top

brass or an officer walking the

beat. I'm no

different than that."

"If I knew that I ever did

something wrong, I would

definitely admit to it, I would

take the

consequences and I would resign.

But in this

situation I know for a fact WE

never did anything

realized the investigation

has "tarnished" HPD's

reputation.

"Birgette: He was not forced to

make this

decision? Myles: No. This was

something he

voluntarily did. He is most

concerned about the

department and his family. His

daughter will

be going to college soon. He

realizes the attention

wife, in a negative light. it's

important to move

continue to

police commission to retire with

"full benefits."

"Brigette: What is next for

Chief Kealoha? Myles:

That question is best answered

by the chief.

My understanding is he likes to

paddle board

Saturday morning, I'll probably

see him on the

CHAIRMAN SWORD SAYS DETAILS OF

KEALOHA'S RETIREMENT HAVE

KEEP YOU POSTED. BRIGETTE

IN A STATEMENT, H-P-D SAID

IT WILL

THAT MAKE HONOLULU ONE OF THE

SAFEST

MAJOR CITIES IN THE COUNTRY.

AND THE MAYOR THANKED THE

COMMISSION FOR TAKING A DECISIVE

ACTION ON THIS MATTER, SAYING IT

WAS THE RIGHT DECISION BY BOTH

THE COMMISSION AND THE CHIEF.

THEY'RE THE ONLY ONE WITH THE

POWER

TO HIRE AND FIRE THE POLICE

CHIEF.

THOSE WHO SUPPORT THE CHIEF TELL

ME

THE CHIEF SHOULD HAVE STAYED ON

THE

RESOLUTION. BUT

OTHERS SAY HE CANNOT EFFECTIVELY

LEAD THE DEPARTMENT WITH

Former police chief Lee Donohue

led HPD from

from politicians forced the

police commission to put

Kealoha on the hot seat and

eventually retire.

out of office, so I just don't

think it was fair, handled

fairly."

Donohue adds that everyone is

innocent until

proven guilty and the chief

should be held under the

same standard.

manolo: "Say you're the chairman

of the

commission what would you have

done?"

Lee: "What I would have probably

offered was that

he remain on leave with pay

the chief to

leave his position shortly after

espero: "This was wearing down

on the

department and the existing

officers and the

morale was bad in terms of what

is actually going

beneficial to the department,

the whole

community, and to the police

chief himself.

espero: "All of his efforts and

his energy can be

towards his defense if that's

where this is

leading to and he doesn't have

to worry about the

department and the officers and

the city and

county."

tenari: "I hate to see him leave

from a selfish

perspective I admire him as the

chief of police and

especially as a friend in blue

if you will or a

brother in that case."

The president of the police

officers' union adds

that a majority of the officers

support the chief

and would have wanted him to

stay on and let the

federal investigation play

itself out.

tenari: "there's the side that I

believe is the

majority that supports Chief

Kealoha they want

his full and entire due process

to be vetted

through and then there those

rightfully so good

bad or otherwise everyone has a

right to

ONE THING THEY ALL AGREE ON IS

THAT THE

CHIEF'S RETIREMENT WILL ALLOW

THE

POLICE DEPARTMENT TO MOVE

FORWARD.

OF 20-13, OVER A MAILBOX.

THAT'S WHEN THE KEALOHAS

CLAIMED,

THEY BLAMED AN UNCLE - GERARD

PUANA - FOR STEALING IT. HE WAS

IN A FINANCIAL FEUD WITH

KATHERINE KEALOHA AT THE TIME.

THE WHOLE ISSUE WENT TO FEDERAL

WASN'T ALLOWED TO SAY.

THROUGH ALL OF THIS, THE CHIEF'S

ANNUAL

PERFORMANCE REVIEW BY THE POLICE

COMMISSION CAME BACK AS

THE COUPLE...WITH THE GRAND JURY

LOOKING INTO POSSIBLE

THEN LAST MONTH, RETIRED H-P-D

OFFICER NIALL

SILVA IS ONE OF SEVERAL OFFICERS

FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS SAY,

AGAIN, THE COMMISSION WILL GIVE

ITS FINAL APPROVAL ON

KEALOHA'S RETIREMENT, WHEN IT

MEETS AGAIN ON JANUARY 18TH.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP YOU

POSTED