2003-03-14 Police Commission Minutes

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HAWAII COUNTY POLICE COMMISSION MINUTES — REGULAR SESSION MARCH 14, 2003 HILO POLICE STATION TRAINING ROOM CALL TO ORDER Chair Horace Hara called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Horace S. Hara, Chair Dwight K. Manago, Vice Chair John M. Bertsch, Member Paul M. de Silva, Member Phoebe M. Lambeth, Member Betsy Mitchell, Member Walter Moe, Member Absent: Peter P. Muller, Member A quorum was present. Also present: Lincoln S. Ashida, Corporation Counsel Lawrence K. Mahuna, Chief of Police Wendell Paiva, Assistant Chief Charles Chai, Assistant Chief James Day, Major Josie Pelayo, Secretary APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Lambeth moved to approve the agenda. Vice Chair Manago seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. STATEMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS — Open to the public Corporation Counsel Ashida informed that the public may give statements on any agenda item, following which the commission will go into closed or executive session for more testimony. Normally, this involves complaints against police officers and if the officer consents to a closed session. DEL PRANKE stated he spoke to Ms. Pelayo prior to the meeting and was informed that meetings at the police station have been rescheduled elsewhere. He came in an hour prior to the meeting, and the room and the parking area was not secured. This is a security problem. They will be getting $4 million from the feds to deal with the crystal meth situation. He is on a committee with the Mitch Roth of the prosecuting attorney's office to come up with new ideas. He hopes that part of this money will be used for a drug- testing lab on this island. People get arrested, but it takes 2 -3 months to get the drugs tested on Oahu, and the people are back out on the street the next day. Having a drug- testing lab here would be a great asset and a good way to stop some of the drug problems. Regarding the agenda, Mr. Pranke stated that there was no such thing as an executive session. The state law requires that the date, time, and place for an executive meeting be stated, same as any other meeting. There is no provision for an executive session in the state law. The executive sessions on the agenda are legally wrong. He asked the commission not to have its executive meeting that day.