City and County of Honolulu HI : 01/18/17 Mayor reacts to retirement agreement with police chief

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

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Mayor reacts to retirement agreement with police chief

Honolulu - Mayor Kirk Caldwell issued the following statement today after it was announced the Honolulu Police Commission had reached a retirement agreement with Louis Kealoha:

'As the appointing authority with exclusive oversight of the Chief of Police, the Police Commission reached a retirement agreement with Louis Kealoha that allows the Honolulu Police Department to move forward in its search for a new leader. Failing to resolve this situation in a timely manner could have resulted in further delays and could have cost the taxpayers even more money, as the Police Commission would have been required to follow a termination procedure - if they decided to terminate him - that could have taken weeks, if not months or years, if appeals were taken. Like many residents of Honolulu I'm concerned about the use of taxpayer funds as stated in this agreement, but allowing this situation to linger is not in the best interest of our men and women in blue, or the people of the City and County. I appreciate the fact that, should Kealoha be indicted and found guilty of a felony within six years of the signed agreement, he has agreed to return those funds to the city. I'm confident the Commission will select a new police chief who has the experience and background that will allow HPD to retain its Gold Standard accreditation, while also keeping Honolulu one of the safest big cities in the nation.'

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