2007-04-20 Police Commission Minutes

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Hawaii County Police Commission Regular Session Minutes April 20, 2007 Page 4 INVESTIGATION AND DELIBERATION OF COMPLAINTS STATEMENTS ON COMPLAINTS (open to the public) JOHN ROBISON spoke on behalf of his friend Dennis Shields. Officers need to go through the appropriate checks. They went to his friend's house with a pickup truck and left empty. He filed a complaint four years ago and then filed a lawsuit. There is a medical marijuana law. Some people use marijuana to relieve pain. He uses it to relieve nausea from high doses of chemotherapy for his cancer. He uses marijuana medically, as needed. He will help those who need it. He has three letters expunging his three arrests. At school, his son asked a Dare officer about medicinal marijuana, and the officer told him it was illegal. At Chair Lassiter's request, he passed around his medical marijuana certificate. DENNIS SHIELDS (Complaint HPC 06 -28) stated that the issue is that he is a tax- paying citizen. Your home is your castle. He has his rights. He was enjoying his liberty at home, and a helicopter came above. They had five trucks. They took nine officers up to his house when it could have only taken a phone call. They must call before to see if they have a certificate. He was legal. He has four separate cards in his family. The issue is that vice officers were mean - spirited. They lied about labeling their plant, and that they couldn't have hashish. (He distributed literature on benefits of marijuana.) Dennis Shields further stated that his son Nathaniel was in California and that he wanted to talk about his son's case (Complaint HPC 06 -32). Chair Lassiter stated that they could defer the case until his son got back. EXECUTIVE SESSION (closed to the public) Commissioner Whittemore moved to meet in executive session to consider discipline and charges against officers or employees of the Hawaii County Police Department where consideration of matters affecting privacy would be involved and a closed session is requested and to consult with Corporation Counsel on questions and issues that pertain to the commission's powers, duties, privileges, immunities, and liabilities pursuant to HRS 92 -5 (2) and Hawaii County Charter Section 13 -20 (b). Commissioner Kaoiwi seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. Executive session convened at 11 :10 a.m. Regular session reconvened at 12:15 p.m. ACTION ON EXECUTIVE SESSION MATTERS • Complaint HPC 06 -28: Complainant alleged that the search warrant of his residence was an unnecessary home invasion and could have been prevented if officers had checked his medical marijuana registration number. Vice Chair Morimoto moved that there was sufficient evidence to prove the complainant's