Over the past 36 years, I have been a big supporter of the Honolulu Police Department, and I always will be. They have a very difficult and important job. They literally put their lives on the line every day for the rest of us. When our houses are being broken into, they are the ones we call, and they come and meet whatever danger there is.
Their days are spent helping people and solving problems. In 2020, there were nearly 700,000 calls for service to HPD. That led to only 200 complaints against police officers. That is fewer than one-tenth of 1%.
When I was a deputy prosecutor, we worked closely with HPD as our partners in virtually all of the cases we took to court. As the United States attorney, our most successful cases were with federal/HPD task forces working together to investigate and prosecute organized crime, political corruption, and labor racketeering.
We also worked closely together with HPD to bring the Weed & Seed strategy to Kalihi- Palama and Chinatown, which reduced crime there significantly. We have joined forces again, along with many other partners, to bring Weed & Seed back to these neighborhoods in the near future.
Why then, am I taking three Honolulu police officers to court for their involvement in the Iremamber Sykap case to answer to charges of murder and attempted murder?
Because police officers, like everyone else, prosecutors included, need to be held accountable for their actions. That means their actions should be investigated and, if appropriate, charges should be brought against them. I also prosecuted police officers when I was the United States attorney. Why?
Because no one is above the law, police officers included.
If I, or someone who worked for me, say, a deputy prosecutor, were suspected of committing a crime, I certainly wouldn’t expect that person or myself to get a pass. In that situation, HPD should investigate and make an arrest if the law was broken. The state Attorney General’s Office would then be responsible for any subsequent prosecution.
Is supporting the police incompatible with investigating and prosecuting them for alleged wrongdoing? Of course not. Or at least it shouldn’t be. Not in America. Not in Hawaii.
Supporting and working with HPD, but at the same time holding accountable those few of their 2,000 personnel who break the law, is not inconsistent. It’s the right thing to do. No one is above the law, and the law has to apply to everyone for the public to have confidence in our criminal justice system.
Steve Alm is prosecuting attorney for the City & County of Honolulu.
