Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

Police Chief Louis Kealoha will have to do some good talking tomorrow at a public hearing called jointly by the House and Senate public safety commissions. At this writing, the police officer caught on video in an apparent domestic violence incident has not yet been arrested, and there has been no action announced against the five officers who failed to file the required police report.

If you get there early, you can witness Police Chief Kealoha  perhaps squirming on the hot seat at the legislative hearing. But plan on getting there very early, the room will hold only so many. Often a hallway TV monitor is provided for those who could not squeeze in, but I don’t know if that is planned for tomorrow. If you can’t come, check `Olelo, maybe channel 55, at 10 a.m. The squirmiest parts will most certainly be on commercial TV tomorrow night.

Although the root cause for public outrage is different, both Ferguson and Honolulu have reason to demand both accountability and change of their police force and its leaders.

Today, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii released a public statement demanding police accountability. The text of the statement is attached below.

The hearing will be in room 309 of the State Capitol starting at 10 a.m. and is scheduled to run until noon. That’s just a wee bit too long to count on parking in the Capitol basement without running out the meter. A better bet would be Alii Tower parking, or catch a bus.

Here is the agenda:

DATE: Tuesday, September 30, 2014
TIME: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
PLACE: Conference Room 309
State Capitol
415 South Beretania Street

A G E N D A

The purpose of this informational briefing is to update the legislators in regards to domestic violence in Hawaii, Honolulu Police Department response, and ideas for improvement.

1.  Welcome and Introductions

2.  Overview of Domestic Violence laws.................................... Domestic Violence Action Center - Loretta Sheehan, esq., Nicole Edwards Masuda, esq.

3.  Annual Statistics and data.................................................... DVAC – Community Outreach & Education - Cindy Spencer, Vice President

4.  Police Response to DV calls................................................ Honolulu Police Department - Chief Louis Kealoha, Police Chief

5.  Response to DV calls if alleged abuser is HPD..................... Honolulu Police Department

6.  Status report of Officer Cachola video................................. Honolulu Police Department

7.  The role of the Police Commission....................................... Police Commission – Gregory Gilmartin, Executive Officer

8.  Best Practices of Law Enforcement...................................... Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Marci Lopes, Executive Director

9.  Experiences of victims........................................................ Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women Cathy Betts, Executive Director

10.  Independent Review Board Proposal.................................... Aaron Hunger, Instructor of Criminal Justice at Remington College & Ph.D. at UH of Manoa

11.  Adjournment

Statement released by Planned Parenthood 9/29/2014:

Planned Parenthood of Hawaii and Planned Parenthood of Hawaii Action Network Join Hawaii Women’s Legislative Caucus in Demanding HPD Accountability in Domestic Violence Case

Honolulu, Hawaii – Planned Parenthood of Hawaii (“PPHI”) and Planned Parenthood of Hawaii Action Network (“PPHIAN”) announced today their support for the Hawaii Women’s Legislative Caucus’ call for public accountability from the Honolulu Police Department (“HPD”) following the public release of a surveillance video allegedly showing an HPD officer assaulting his girlfriend outside of a Waipahu restaurant.

PPHI and PPHIAN join the Hawaii Women’s Legislative Caucus in demanding that HPD explain its policies and procedures for handling domestic violence allegations involving HPD officers and ensure that HPD properly enforces Hawaii’s domestic violence laws regardless of the identity of the perpetrator. This call to action coincides with Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October), an opportunity to raise awareness about the devastating impact of domestic and intimate partner violence — both on women’s health care and women’s equality.

As a health care provider, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii knows first hand how domestic violence affects the health of communities and regularly sees the consequences of domestic violence in its health care centers. Routine health care includes talking to patients about healthy relationships and safe environments and encouraging patients to seek assistance from domestic violence professionals and agencies like HPD that are charged with assisting victims.

“We find it appalling that HPD has betrayed our trust and that of our patients by turning a blind eye towards domestic violence perpetrated by its own officers,” noted Andrea Anderson, PPHI President and CEO. “It is absolutely essential that Chief Kealoha and the Honolulu Police Commission restore the public’s confidence by taking a strong stand against domestic violence and ensuring that HPD’s policies and procedures, as well as the actions of its officers, reflect its obligation to protect the safety of everyone in Hawaii.”

“As the advocacy arm of PPHI, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii Action Network seeks to ensure that women’s voices are heard in government. In this case, HPD has silenced the voices of domestic violence victims despite its essential and critical role to protect them,” stated Amy Monk, PPHIAN co-chair. “We commend the Hawaii Women’s Legislative Caucus for shining a light on this important issue and join them in demanding that HPD follow the law and treat all victims of domestic violence fairly and equally.”

Laurie Temple Field
Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations

Permalink posted by Larry @ 9/29/2014 05:18:00 PM