2022-12-12 Police Commission Regular Minutes

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Hawaii Police Commission Special Meeting Minutes December 12, 2022 Page 22 it takes a village, he was raised in this village, and this is his home. He's retired and decided to come out of retirement to help the community. He will be a leader in this community whether it's in this position or another. The way he was raised, and the values that he has is leading him to this point in his journey. He has a different perspective from everyone there. He started in Honolulu, came home, and left for the FBI. It was really hard for him to leave, but he always knew that he would be sitting before the commission, applying for the chief. Whether he stayed in this department or took the journey that he did. he has the ability to see things at a 30,000-foot level and has the ability to bring to the table things that the other candidates don't have. He has worldwide experience, he's seen and worked with leaders at the highest levels of law enforcement. He believes thoroughly from what he has seen, that leadership is the key. He will bring leadership and integrity to the table. He feels he's the right person because he has the passion, he cares about this community, and he cares about this department. He has legacy in this department and he has a lot of people that he knows within this department. He knows that he's approachable to them and they can communicate with him issues that they may not to others. With that in mind, he feels he's the right person for the job and he would do a good job at it. • Vice Chair Brown stated, we have had several testifiers share their concerns regarding their confidence in a police chief who will uphold and defend the Constitution, especially regarding the overreach of government and law enforcement on its citizens. What would you say in response to those concerned? ➢ Sherry Bird stated we should be policing in a legal way. As law enforcement officers, our duty is to uphold the Constitution of the United States, the Hawaii State Constitution, the laws of the land, and things like that. It all starts with the chief; the chief must set an example and be educated on matters that affect this. Not only the chief, but command staff, and all the officers. They need to make sure our officers are educated, updated training occurs, and reoccurring training to make sure we're all abreast of it. Again, leading by example, sharing that message as far as the chief and the expectations, setting the example, and practicing what you preach. You can't say one thing and do another, it sets a bad tone for the department. If someone alleges that an officer is involved in illegal policing practice, make sure that we do an investigation to see if this actually happened and if it did then we need to address it appropriately whether it's with discipline, a refresher, training, or reeducation to make sure it doesn't happen again. Making sure our officers are trained in methods such as de-escalation, and alternatives to uses of force. If we can show as a police department to the community that we know what they're doing, we're practicing legal policing methods then on the flip side of that, it builds trust with the community. Ultimately the officers will do what the chief tells them to do, they're going to go where the chief tells them to go,