HPD violence spurs more charges

A 14-year police veteran and a former reserve officer are facing federal charges in connection with assaults in September on two gambling house patrons at the hands of another officer.

The U.S. attorney Wednesday charged Honolulu police officer Nelson Tamayori and former volunteer reserve officer Joseph Becera with deliberately concealing knowledge of a felony by deliberately omitting the assaults in their official police reports. Becera is also charged with making a false statement to the FBI.

Honolulu police officer Vincent Morre admitted that he committed the assaults when he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court last month to two counts of using his police powers to deprive the constitutional rights of a person. Morre, 37, a nine-year HPD veteran, faces a maximum 10-year prison term for each count at sentencing in August.

Tamayori and Becera face fines and maximum three-year prison terms for the charge of concealing a felony.

Becera also faces a fine and a maximum five years in prison for making a false statement. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday. His lawyer, Andrew Park, said Becera will plead guilty.

“These are serious charges that underscore the importance of reporting misconduct,” Honolulu Police Deputy Chief Dave Kajihiro said in a statement. “If you witness but fail to report another officer’s misconduct, then you’re going to be held responsible for your actions.”

Kajihiro said the charges are disappointing because the incident doesn’t reflect “the many good things that our officers do.”

The Honolulu Police Department said it suspended Morre and Tamayori after it learned of the assaults. Both are now on restricted, administrative duty.

Tamayori is a 14-year HPD veteran.

Becera, 77, resigned in October after serving 37 years as a reserve police officer.

The FBI said in federal court records that the assaults happened Sept. 5 in an illegal game room called Doc’s at 1165 Hopaka St., behind McKinley Car Wash. Security cameras recorded the incident.

Morre, Tamayori and Becera entered Doc’s looking for a forgery suspect. The FBI said the video shows all three dressed in plain clothes and at least two were wearing police badges.

The video shows Morre kicking a seated game room patron in the face, then he, Tamayori and Becera walking toward the back of the game room, the FBI said. The three men then returned to the front of the room, where Morre kicked another seated patron and struck him in the face with both hands. The video shows Morre then kicking the first patron in the face again, knocking the patron off his chair.

The FBI said the video shows Morre walking away and throwing a chair at the first patron, striking him in the head. The wound required three staples, the FBI said.