������Ƶ

Four Honolulu police officers have been arrested on domestic violence charges this month, according to the department.

All four officers have had their police powers removed, and three have been criminally charged, according to Michelle Yu, a spokeswoman for the police department. 

So far this year, a total of five officers have been arrested in eight domestic violence cases, Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan said during a Police Commission meeting on Wednesday. The fifth officer who was arrested earlier this year had his case declined by prosecutors, according to Yu. 

Last year, there were also eight domestic violence cases involving five officers. That was down from 15 incidences of family abuse involving officers in 2019, Logan said.

But the fact that four officers were arrested in the span of a two weeks is an “anomaly,” he said. 

“I haven’t seen that,” he said.

Last year, four officers were or household members, according to a disciplinary summary from the police department. Only one, Michael Rourke, was discharged. 

Patrick Akana-Klein was given a 20-day suspension, Ming Wang was given a written reprimand and Diana Lugo was at first discharged but later reinstated, according to the summary. 

One of the officers arrested this month is Officer Eli Andrin. He was charged with four counts of abusing a family member on Monday, according to court records. He was released on $25,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. Andrin was for helping save his neighbor’s child from drowning in 2020, according to Hawaii News Now.

Sgt. Gabriel Kira was arrested on Oct. 10 but has not been criminally charged, according to a police arrest log. 

Details on the other two arrests could not be found. Yu would not provide the names of the officers arrested. 

Police Commission Chair Doug Chin said during Wednesday’s meeting that he expected the police department to hold the officers accountable, either through the court system or administratively, so “nothing is swept under the rug.” 

Logan said all officers accused would be subjected to both criminal and internal investigations and could face disciplinary action “up to and including discharge.” 

“I ask all our officers to follow their moral compass of true north, that is 24/7, 365, whether you’re on duty or off duty,” he said. “You’re under the microscope of what this police profession means, and you take that home with you. Any behavior that you do that’s outside, that’s what people will know and, I guess, judge you as a police officer.”

Logan also said the department was taking steps to prevent these types of incidents from occurring by making counselors and chaplains available to all personnel and encouraging supervisors to do wellness check-ins with their subordinates.