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Wednesday, October 25, 2017
October 25, 2017 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 3:49 PM :: 5676 Views

F is for Fail: 2017 Honolulu Small Business Friendliness

Supreme Court Dismisses Hawaii Lawsuit Against Trump Travel Ban 2.0

North Korea Disaster Preparedness Community Meeting

How HPD CIU Links Mafia Directly to Police Chief

CB:the Honolulu Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit, or CIU as it’s more commonly referred to, has been caught up in controversy almost since it began. The unit has a long history of scandal and corruption, and one member was killed in a gangland-style murder….

“To have the CIU answer directly to the chief creates all sorts of protections for them, but it also creates all sorts of problems because they can operate with impunity,” Dooley said. “They’ve been caught doing some really suspect things over and over again. And the’ve been doing it virtually since the time they started.”…

three CIU officers were accused in 1973 of breaking into a Hollywood businessman’s Waikiki penthouse to steal his briefcase, which contained documents related to a proposed business venture and “semiprecious stones.”

According to news reports, a later search of the penthouse uncovered a bugging device that was hidden on top of a kitchen cabinet….

A few years later a lawsuit was filed against Isaac Sanga, a former member of the CIU, by a grieving father, who said Sanga helped arrange his son’s murder.

Sanga had resigned from HPD the day after the alleged killer was arrested. Sanga himself was killed in the Kewalo Basin parking lot in 1984. Prosecutors said Sanga was trying to collect a $4,000 debt on behalf of someone else when he was fatally shot.

The Criminal Intelligence Unit again was thrust into the spotlight in 1997. That’s  when then-Police Chief Michael Nakamura told the Internal Affairs Division he had ordered CIU to follow Sharon Black, an HPD outreach worker, “around town and to place a ‘trap'” on her phone and pager, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

At the time, the Internal Affairs investigators were looking into Black’s allegation that she was being retaliated against after filing a sexual harassment complaint against then-Assistant Chief Joseph Aveiro Jr…..

One of the most revealing cases was in 2007 when a CIU officer, Kenneth Kamakana, filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against HPD alleging widespread corruption and abuses of power within its ranks.

Kamakana had said in his lawsuit he was transferred out of CIU and investigated by HPD’s internal affairs division, now known as the Professional Standards Office, after he turned over records of alleged wrongdoing by the secretive unit to the FBI.

Among the allegations were that CIU officers had contacted a defendant in a major federal investigation into organized crime and gambling in Chinatown despite warnings from FBI officials that doing so could put the case at risk.

According to depositions obtained by the Advertiser at the time, FBI agents expressed concerns about just how close some CIU officers were to the criminals they were supposed to take down.

“It is a Criminal Intelligence Unit, and to do their job correctly, they have to develop very close working relationships with people of suspect character,” one agent said. “The better the source you have — usually that means the source is a very bad person — the better the case you have. And it’s like playing with fire.”….

McCauley told DeCaires that CIU focuses much of its attention on gambling, prostitution and drugs.  (Translation: Collecting payoffs.) But it also responds to calls from public figures, such as judges and politicians…..

read … Covert Honolulu Police Unit Has Long History Of Troubles

Next Chief? Maj Ballard Makes Plan to Hire Friends at HPD

KHON: …Next was Maj. Susan Ballard, the only current officer in HPD.

“It was very informative. I think it went okay,” said Ballard of her interview.

Ballard said she was disappointed after several officers, along with former chief Louis Kealoha and his wife, Katherine, were indicted last week on conspiracy charges.

“I was not involved in this administration whatsoever. I was very marginalized, because I was very vocal,” she said.

“My integrity and ethics, there is no way I would allow that to happen. And my friends, if they’re actually put in a position, they know they’re going to have to work harder than anybody else to prove themselves because they’re my friends,” Ballard added. “People will not be promoted because they’re friends. They’ll be promoted for their competency, and as long as you put competent people in place, this shouldn’t happen.”…. 

UPDATE: Unanimous Police Commission Names Maj. Susan Ballard HPD Chief

read … Three police chief finalists appear before commission on second day of interviews

Next Chief? Retired Assistant Chief Kevin Lima will Push Back Against ‘Negative Media’

KITV: …"As you know a lot of negative media has come about and vast majority of officers do excellent work everyday but aren't recognized for it," said Lima.    

Lima said if he is chosen as Honolulu Police Chief, he hopes to restore morale in HPD.

"There's plenty of things I'd like to do, the department needs a strong advocate, for our officers and our civilian staff," said Lima.

Cataluna: Scandals at the top not an indictment of entire HPD

read … Sweep Under Rug

HPD finalist under fire from Texas police union

ILind: James Lowery, deputy chief of the Arlington (Texas) Police Department and one of the seven finalists being considered for the position of Honolulu’s police chief, was recently criticized by a police union leader for improperly ordering the destruction of a document related to a police brutality case. But the criticism is part of the union’s reaction to a scandal over faked traffic stops that led to 16 officers losing their jobs…..

KITV: Two candidates from out of state will be interviewed Wednesday.

read … HPD finalist under fire from Texas police union

Council Rejects Tent Cities, But Still Intent on Repeating Portland and Seattle’s Stupidities

SA: …The committee further advanced resolution 17-277, to create secure places for homeless to stay — where they could stay temporarily without fear of eviction and have access to restrooms and social services. However, wary of tent cities springing up, Menor and the other members amended the resolution to strike the mention of tents and to instead encourage “tiny houses” — low-cost, easy-to-build shelter spaces.

Menor cited the Low Income Housing Institute’s Tiny House Village program in Seattle as a “successful model” to emulate. Marc Alexander, executive director of the city’s Office of Housing, said that Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s administration joins the U.S. Interagency Council on Homeless and the National Alliance to End Homelessness in opposing safe zones because they don’t work.

He cited a Portland, Ore.-based transitional housing encampment called Dignity Village, saying “it’s costly and doesn’t move people into permanent housing.” The mayor, Alexander said, would rather expand programs such as the city’s Hale Mauliola transitional housing complex on Sand Island and its Housing First initiative….

read … Seattle is Stupid

500 Homeless Youth in Waikiki

SA: …Alika Campbell, program manager for Youth Outreach (Yo), a Waikiki-based drop-in center for street kids, said approximately 500 clients, youth to age 22, visited the facility about 6,000 times last year.

Nearly all are homeless — either because their families are without shelter, they’ve aged out of foster care or they are running away from a bad home situation, Campbell said. Most gravitate to Waikiki over other parts of the island because it’s exciting, without the fear factor that comes with Chinatown, he said.

It’s also more youth-friendly, and the crowd cover makes it easier for runaways, who want to escape detection, Campbell said.

“Life for them is about day-to-day survival. Where do I eat tonight? Where do I sleep?” he said. “It’s a crappy existence.”

Campbell said some street kids commit petty crimes to survive. As far as he knows, none of the teens involved in the three most recent high-profile crimes were Yo kids….

read … 500 Homeless

Charlotte NC Homeless Man and Dog to be Flown to Hawaii One Way

CO: Alan Lord and his dog Levi have been off the streets of Charlotte for the past two weeks after an anonymous donor volunteered to pay for a hotel room while the pair waits for clearance to fly to Hawaii to be with Lord’s brother….Lord and his dog have been homeless for nearly one year…..

the agency hopes the pair will be Hawaii-bound in the next few days to a week. Staff members have helped Lord gather Levi’s health records and complete quarantine paperwork in preparation for their trip. For speedy approval, Hawaii requires dogs be micro-chipped, up-to-date on vaccinations, treated for ticks and able to pass a rabies blood screening.

Levi is also now registered as a service dog, which means Lord can take his dog into most businesses and other places where pets might normally not be allowed. Lord says he’s trained Levi to help him pick up items because he is often unable to bend over due to long-term back injuries.

Lord said this week he’s optimistic about moving to Hawaii….

A Humane Society director in Hawaii is standing by to help when Levi and Lord arrive, she said…..

KITV: Vegas Shooters Brother was Homeless Dude with Kiddie Porn Stash

read … How They Get Here

New city proposals to legalize certain vacation rentals, and crackdown on scofflaws

KITV: …"DPP needs, and the residents need to have more tools more things they can use to combat this problem. It's huge there are over a 1000 rentals in Kailua," said Price.

The number of illegal rentals across the island some say more like 8,000 according to Zoning Chair Kym Pine.

"We need to find some solution to fix this rapid loss of housing in our community," said Pine.

That's why her committee will take up four measures to try and fix the problem.

Two deal with enforcement, and two with legalizing some vacation rentals….

SA: City panel to consider regulating vacation rentals

read … New city proposals to legalize certain vacation rentals, and crackdown on scofflaws

Ritte Thugs Want DLNR to Give Them Control of Molokai Fishing

HNN: …a group called Hui Malama o Moomomi, on behalf of Hoolehua homesteaders, created proposed regulations under a Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area that stretches about 17 miles — from Ilio Point on the island's northwest tip to Kaholaiki Bay.

It's supposed to protect Native Hawaiian traditional fishing practices while reducing overfishing.

Earlier this year, the DLNR held meetings on the proposed regulations to gather community input.

"If we don't have limits, not going to be too many fish for us in the future," said Poepoe.

Other fishermen, though, are against the proposed rules.

"The rules and regulations that they want to implement, it infringes on rights of Native Hawaiians," said William "Yama" Kaholoaa.

He believes there's are still plenty of fish and outside regulation isn't needed.

Under the proposed rules, two species of uhu, ulu eleele and uhu uliuli, would be kapu.

There would be bag limits on other species of uhu palukaluka, uhu ahuula, kole, moi and spiny lobster. Plus, proposed size limits on opihi and no taking of limu with its roots still attached.

The proposal also includes no night diving, no scuba spearfishing and no commercial fishing not including recreational or charter operations.

In 2014, the state Land Board approved similar rules for Haena.

It was the first-ever package of rules by Native Hawaiian subsistence fishers from the community itself.

State Rep. Kaniela Ing, chairman of the Ocean, Marine Resources and Hawaiian Affairs committee, said he supports the model…..

read … 'The biggest threat is people': A Molokai hui proposes its own regulations to prevent overfishing

Peter Boy's mother to remain a free woman after probation violations

HNN: …The mother of "Peter Boy" Kema admitted in court Tuesday that she's violated conditions of her parole.

Jaylin Kema violated terms of the deal twice by smoking marijuana. 

She reached an agreement with the state earlier this year to avoid more jail time, as part of a manslaughter sentence for her role in the death of her son.

And in court Tuesday, she was re-sentenced to probation.

Under the terms of her probation, she's under strict monitoring.

"She's being treated the same as any other probation person who violates probation for the first time. This is recommended by her probation officer," said her attorney, Brian DeLima. "There was no negotiation we accepted the proposal by her probation officer and the prosecution."

In July, a Hilo judge scolded Kema for failing to check in with her probation officer, changing her phone number without notifying her probation officer and for using marijuana. Kema admitted that she met a friend at a cemetery to purchase the drug.  ….

SA: ‘Peter Boy’ death declaration clears the way for siblings’ lawsuit

read … Free

Hawaii Democrats Accomplish So Little

CB: No one should be surprised if voters have trouble trusting the party that seems to accomplish so little despite an overwhelming majority and decades of control….

The thing to remember is that while our national situation begets anger, it is also born of anger. That simmering dissatisfaction at Democrats for losing touch with the middle class that had been their base….

The Democratic Party of Hawaii is all-powerful but what has that gotten us?….

the anger is here, but beneath the surface, a pre-seismic rumble nudging the edge of our perception. Our leaders take solace in the widespread assumption that low voter turnout reflects overall satisfaction, a comforting reflection of our noted no-stay-broke-no-need-fix, go-along-to-get-along spirit….

No one should be surprised if voters in this era of nagging issues like homelessness, TMT, and weak economic opportunities have trouble trusting the party that seems to accomplish so little despite an overwhelming majority and decades of control. And what segment of the party would they rely on? Traditional Hawaii ethnic blocs? Old school liberals? Labor? Don’t forget that Andy Winer, the man who helped Brian Schatz — Slate’s poster child for Senate Democrats’ fecklessness — win his Senate seat in 2014, espoused a reliance on low information voters and progressives who moved to Hawaii since the 1990s….

read … The Angry Electorate: What Will We Do Now?

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