Hawaiian Chief
New HPD Chief Louis Kealoha brings traditional native Hawaiian values to running one of the largest police departments in the U.S. It’s just one reason he’s so well respected by the rank and file
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ior in Hawaii. He hopes to implement many of his ideas and thoughts in community-based crime prevention within HPD.
In professional and private life, Kealoha is never far from law enforcement. His wife, attorney Katherine Puana Kealoha, is former city prosecutor and has been director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control since 2008. He met his wife of 13 years while both were enrolled in the criminal justice master’s program at Chaminade. The couple now team-teaches that class.
Kealoha also voluntarily helps HPD officers prepare for advancement exams. As such, the “perpetual student” is giving back to his community.
“I do my best to lead by example and to show my daughter (Kristina, 11) how important volunteering is in civic responsibility,” he declares.
The professorial Kealoha explains that law enforcement has evolved dramatically over three eras: political, professional or reform, and today’s community policing. The latter refers to crime prevention and control through closer police-community partnerships based on the principle that “the police are the public, and the public are the police.”
Programs such a CrimeStoppers, Neighborhood Security Watch, Keiki ID, Citizens Academy and MidWeek‘s annual “Most Wanted” coverage are examples of community policing in action, where police and citizens work together to create permanent solutions to problems.
Hawaii has obviously come a long way from the kingdom’s ancient kapu system, when taboos were dealt with violently and swiftly. It has even polished up its approach from the days of Honolulu’s most notorious beat cop, Chang Apana, who walked around Chinatown with a scowl and a whip.
Kealoha smiles as he recalls the proud tradition and romanticized images of HPD through legend and Hollywood movies. Visitors to HPD’s museum at headquarters (open to the public) often look for Charlie Chan and Hawaii Five-O artifacts.
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“Contrary to popular belief, we spend only 2 percent of our time on violent crimes,” the native Hawaiian police administrator says. “The rest of our time is spent on answering complaints and providing services.
“But it’s an intense profession requiring officers who are at the top of their game when it comes to knowing hundreds of laws, the citizens’ rights and managing situations they encounter on the spur of the moment. It’s not magic. There’s a process that takes time,” he says.
About nagging social issues such as homelessness and domestic violence, Kealoha admits, “We are often caught in the middle. Certain situations might not be criminal, but everyone thinks we’re responsible for deterring them. Prevention and public education then become our mandate.”
About police recruiting, Kealoha says the department has benefited somewhat from the rise in private-sector unemployment. Arecent one-week recruitment campaign generated more than 3,000 applicants and 200 hires.
How will he measure success?
“Obviously, we look at crime stats to give us a quantitative analysis,” he says. “We also are going to do an online survey of the community to gauge the perception and quality of life in neighborhoods. Perceptions of public safety are affected by things such as graffiti. People feel threatened in a careless environment.”
So there is a lot on the police chief’s plate. But his appetite for achievement is vast.
Will the kid from Kalihi Halawa rise to the occasion and add his legacy to the honor roll of police chiefs who have preceded him?
Approaching his mandate with aloha seems like a good start.
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