ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ

Editor’s note: For Hawaii’s Aug. 10 primary election, Civil Beat asked candidates to answer some questions about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following came from Kelden Waltjen, candidate for Hawaii County prosecutor. He has no opponent.

Go to Civil Beat’s Election Guide for general information, and check out other candidates on the General Election Ballot.

1. What do you see as the most pressing issue facing your office? What will you do about it?

The most pressing issue facing our office is the unwarranted release of individuals facing serious felony charges. Judges often refer to Hawaii Community Correctional Center’s overcrowding as the basis to release offenders over prosecutors’ objections. This practice does not promote trust and confidence in our criminal justice system and creates concerns for public safety.

HCCC, a 226-bed facility in Hilo, is the primary correctional facility on Hawaii island where most pretrial and sentenced felons are housed. As there is no correctional facility in West Hawaii, inmates must be transported daily via a two-hour commute each way. As of June 17, 2024, HCCC’s headcount is 311, which equates to a 137.6% occupancy rate, making HCCC the most overcrowded correctional facility in the state. 

Hawaii island is in dire need of new and improved correctional facilities with the infrastructure to both house serious offenders and accommodate rehabilitative care and treatment, social services, cultural education and reintegration assistance for incarcerated individuals to reduce recidivism and promote public safety. I will continue to work proactively with our local and state legislators and the Hawaii Prison Oversight Commission to advocate for more resources and updated facilities to address overcrowding issues.

2. Over on Oahu, the Honolulu prosecuting attorney’s office has been the subject of a federal corruption probe and criminal investigation over pay-to-prosecute campaign finance practices. Given the campaign system, how do you ensure integrity in the criminal justice process?

I am committed to upholding our office’s mission of pursuing justice with integrity and commitment.

My campaign team has and continues to run a grassroots campaign supported by friends and family. I do not let campaign contributions influence our office.

Conflicts of interest are referred to the Department of the Attorney General for their independent prosecutorial review to ensure any appearance of impropriety.

3. Is Hawaii island a safe place to live? What can be done to improve the safety of residents and visitors on the island?

Overall, Hawaii island is a safe place to live with lower rates of violent crime; however, property crime and traffic fatalities continue to be a concern for both residents and visitors.

Many who call Hawaii island home remember a time when you could leave your house unlocked or keep your car keys in your car. Unfortunately, times have changed and our office encourages the public to remain vigilant and be aware of their surroundings.

Our office continues to focus on the identification and prosecution of serious, violent and repeat offenders, including high-level distributors of dangerous narcotics such as fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin to make our community a safer place.

4. What role does the prosecutor’s office have in criminal justice reform particularly in keeping low-level offenders out of the corrections system?

The prosecutor’s office plays an important role in criminal justice reform. During my administration, I have worked to reduce the overcrowding in our correctional facilities by focusing on serious and violent offenses and for those that have a long and repeated history of crime, where court-mandated supervision, treatment and/or rehabilitation have not been effective. Over the past year, data indicates that consistently 90% of those incarcerated at HCCC are detained on felony charges.

I believe that the initial response to low-level offenders should be through a combination of prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, education and reintegration.

5. What would you do to address racism and discriminatory treatment in law enforcement?

Being part-Hawaiian, I am aware of the historical inequalities and injustices that Native Hawaiians and other minorities face. I also recognize that there are a disproportionate number of Native Hawaiians in the criminal justice system.

This requires our government, including all law enforcement agencies, to continue to work together to address the issue of racism and inequality through the sharing of data, continuing education and training regarding racism and implicit biases and utilizing alternatives to incarceration such as jail diversion programs, specialty courts and restorative justice.

We also need to provide more opportunities, assistance and services for Native Hawaiians and minorities.

6. What would you do to strengthen police accountability in Hawaii, including the role the prosecutor’s office plays in use-of-force cases?

I believe that our law enforcement agencies need to continue to work together to review the current police use-of-force policies and procedures, determine the necessary changes and strengthen accountability. Continued collaboration and training by the prosecutor’s office for police officers can also improve practices between both agencies.

The Hawaii County Prosecutor’s Office is comprised of three offices across the island. We have already taken steps to ensure that any police misconduct case, including use-of-force, is reviewed impartially. As a general matter, if a police misconduct case occurs in one area of Hawaii island, we refer the case to another office on the island, or if appropriate, to the Attorney General and/or another county’s prosecutor’s office to avoid any potential conflict or imputed appearance of impropriety.

7. What other issue would you like to address or make the voters aware of?

I was born and raised on Hawaii island. I have served as prosecuting attorney since December 2020. Prior to that, I served as a deputy prosecuting attorney for eight years. I have dedicated my career to serving the people of Hawaii County.

During my first term, we had many accomplishments including the successful prosecution of homicides, sexual assaults, domestic violence, crimes against children, narcotics distribution, property offenses, impaired driving and other cases.

We enhanced community outreach by facilitating meetings and events, and assigning deputy prosecuting attorneys to various districts across our island to ensure that each community’s concerns are heard and addressed.

We have recently launched our new case management system, which will improve services and provide for paperless and digital file management. We also prioritized multiagency law enforcement collaboration and worked collaboratively with county officials and the state legislature to improve laws and address public safety concerns.

Our office established social media platforms on Instagram and Facebook, with 1,270 posts over the past three years. To learn more about our office and receive media releases about cases and upcoming events, please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @hawaiiprosecutors.