State Public Safety Director Ted Sakai said he is taking steps to ensure no other inmate escapes from the custody of corrections officers in the same manner as murder suspect Teddy Munet, who fled while getting out of a van at Circuit Court in Kakaako Wednesday.
Munet, 29, was captured by Honolulu police on Waimanu Street, about eight blocks away, a little more than 11 hours after his escape.
Sakai said he is emphasizing to prison officials the need for corrections officers to restrain medium- and maximum-security-risk inmates with handcuffs, waist chains and leg irons during transport as is required under "long-standing, written policy."
Munet was scheduled to appear for a hearing before a judge Wednesday morning. He was among 30 to 40 inmates in four vans that arrived from Oahu Community Correctional Center, and officials said he bolted after stepping out of the van.
"The inmate should have been fully shackled with leg irons, and I have told OCCC orally and in writing that they have to comply with our policies on this," Sakai told reporters at a news conference Thursday. He said he still has not been told whether other inmates in the convoy wore leg shackles.
Sakai said he also wants to make sure that the act of offloading inmates from buses and vans at the courthouse takes place in enclosed areas. The van that Munet got out of was parked in an outer loading bay, he said.
Officials from his department, which includes both the sheriff and corrections divisions, will meet with state Judiciary administrators to review the situation and see whether either the enclosed drop-off area can be enlarged, or if a gate can be placed at the top of the driveway leading onto Reed Lane, where Munet escaped.
OCCC officials will give Sakai a full and detailed briefing on the incident Monday.
When police caught Munet at 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, he was without handcuffs but still wearing a belly chain, walking on a Kakaako sidewalk blocks from the courthouse.
"He initially looked like he was about to flee and surrendered peacefully," police Maj. Rich Robinson said at a police news conference.
Despite Munet’s capture a mile from the point of escape, Robinson said the police response was appropriate and police had maximum staffing, responded islandwide to tips and had a number of resources in the area to make a rapid response.
He credits the capture to the dozens of tips from the public.
The tip that led to his capture came from a woman approached by Munet. She recognized him from media reports, then gave a good description of him and where he was headed.
DPS is also setting up a digital system to quickly issue information about escapes to people living and working in the neighborhoods where they occur, Sakai said.
Sakai said no one has been disciplined or put on leave as a result of the incident. The Public Safety Department’s internal affairs office is conducting a routine investigation.
Sakai said he will also review OCCC’s policy on what inmates wear when they need to appear in court.
Munet was wearing a black hoodie and black shorts, not a standard, bright orange prison jumpsuit issued by OCCC. Sakai said he was told that was because Munet was supposed to go before a jury, and Judiciary regulations require that an inmate wear civilian clothing during such proceedings to limit prejudicial treatment based on appearance.
But Judiciary spokeswoman Marsha Kitagawa said Munet was not scheduled to appear before a jury and that he was not required to wear civilian wear.
Corrections officers conducting transfers are armed with handguns and are trained to use them if necessary, Sakai said.
DPS officials had earlier said that Munet outran corrections officers who chased him. Reporters on Thursday asked Sakai whether corrections officers should be given annual physical examinations to ensure their stamina.
Sakai said such a requirement would be in place if he had his druthers, but noted that he will have to consult with his human resources staff and likely the United Public Workers, the union that represents corrections officers.
Munet’s escape was the second from the building in four months. On Oct. 31 a prisoner in the custody of sheriffs escaped while in a private room by removing a ceiling tile and climbing through the opening. Sakai said these are the only two escapes by inmates from the decades-old building.
Star-Advertiser reporter Leila Fujimori contributed to this report.
