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Two officers who were set to be fired from the Honolulu Police Department after being accused of assaulting a prisoner in 2021 had their penalties reduced to 20-day suspensions last year, according to an annual police disciplinary report submitted to the state Legislature on Friday.

The officers, Thomas-John Kaanana and Judah Kekua, were accused of using unreasonable force when restraining a detainee and , the report says. They were also accused of striking the prisoner and failing to intervene when the detainee was subjected to unreasonable force by other officers. 

Their cases were sent to the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office, but charges were never filed, according to court records.

A grievance process revealed there was insufficient evidence to prove they used excessive force or charge them with a crime, the report says. They were still found to have used unreasonable force when they tried to remove the detainee’s clothes and struck the person without justification, the report says.

Robert Cavaco, president of the statewide police union, said in a statement that arbitrators felt the department’s discipline approach was “one-size-fits-all” and didn’t give each individual officer discipline that was appropriate for his actions.

Report Shows Some Officers Were Fired

The Legislative report lists names and short summaries of 53 officers disciplined for incidents dating back to 2017. Twenty-two of those officers were disciplined last year.

Officers were penalized for a range of issues including failing to activate their body-worn cameras, drunk driving, falsifying police reports and stealing a wallet. Many of the disciplinary actions were pending or in arbitration.

When officers are fired, they can appeal their termination and go through a grievance process that is decided by an arbitrator. If the decision is made to reduce their penalty, the officer can be reinstated. Twelve officers had pending discharges stemming from incidents dating back to 2020, and five had discharges that were finalized last year.

One of the officers in the process of being fired is Mariah Ah Tou, who was while off duty in September 2023, according to Hawaii News Now. Ah Tou hit another vehicle and a street sign, according to police. 

Her criminal case was dismissed in June after her attorney argued it was taking too long to schedule a trial, but prosecutors refiled charges the following day. 

A bench trial is scheduled for Feb. 18. Her attorney, Alen Kaneshiro, did not respond to a call and email seeking comment.  

Cornell Munalem, another officer given a discharge notice last year, was accused of failing to keep his body-worn camera on while investigating a car crash. He also falsified police reports and failed to process and secure the crime scene, according to the report. His discharge is pending.

Four other officers were accused of failing to activate their body-worn cameras, including three who face felony charges for their role in a 2021 vehicle pursuit in Mākaha that resulted in the car’s six occupants being injured. 

The officers are accused of pursuing a Honda Civic at speeds in excess of 100 mph and ramming the vehicle until it crashed. The officers then fled, regrouped in another location and returned to the scene pretending not to know what happened, according to prosecutors.

Three of those officers — Erik Smith, Joshua Nahulu and Jake Bartolome — were fired last February, but their discharges are still listed as pending. 

Robert Lewis is also charged in the case but is not mentioned in the 2024 disciplinary report. He was given a three-day suspension in 2023 and remains employed by the police department on restricted duties, according to his attorney, Benjamin Ignacio. 

The officers’ criminal case is on hold while an appeals court rules on whether to dismiss one of the most serious counts against Nahulu: collision involving death or serious bodily injury. The officers’ grievances with the police department are suspended while the criminal cases are ongoing, Cavaco said. 

Pedric Arrisgado, who represents Bartolome, declined to comment. Richard Sing, who represents Nahulu, and Doris Lum, who represents Smith, did not respond to calls seeking comment. 

Mason Jordan, who pleaded guilty in April to committing a range of child sex crimes while serving as a Honolulu police officer, was also given a final discharge last year — although he resigned in 2021, according to his attorney Caroline Elliott. Federal prosecutors say Jordan impersonated young people on social media to lure children into working for him as prostitutes. He is awaiting sentencing, his attorney said.

Chief Says Department Has High Standards

Cavaco said in a statement that it is important not to paint the officers listed in the report with a broad brush and noted that the report covers several years. 

While the union “may not concur with every detail of this annual report, we recognize the vital importance of fostering public trust in law enforcement through transparency and accountability,” he said. 

Other officers disciplined last year include Terrance Katakura, who was suspended for one day after finding and keeping a wallet that did not belong to him; Derek Ota, who received a three-day suspension for using unreasonable force against a man in custody, making rude comments to emergency room staff and deactivating his body-worn camera; and Joseph Lindley-Molina, who resigned prior to discharge for failing a drug test, the report says.

Honolulu police Chief Joe Logan said in a statement that the department holds its officers to high standards and investigates all allegations of misconduct while supporting officers’ rights to due process. 

“We greatly value the trust that the public places in us,” the statement said, “and we will continue to take the appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including discharge, when misconduct occurs.”