One Hawaii Police Department officer was fired in 2024, one terminated in 2023 is in binding arbitration hoping to regain his badge, while a third discharged in 2023 has returned to the force as a result of his grievance.
That’s according to the department’s annual disciplinary report for 2024 to the state Legislature.
The report also lists 19 incidents of officers being suspended from duty without pay ranging from a day to 50 days.
Police departments statewide are required to submit the annual reports, which describe suspensions and terminations for the prior year. Officers who break the rules are counseled or receive additional training or reprimands before the department resorts to suspensions.
The report is available on the department’s website at hawaiipolice.org.
“The Hawaii Police Department remains committed to providing the highest quality customer service and we are, obviously, committed to transparency,” Chief Ben Moszkowicz said Friday. “That’s why we share the disciplinary report on our website.”
There are 21 entries in the report, covering an islandwide department with 429 officers.
“I think the vast majority of the people who work on the police department do an exemplary job,” Moszkowicz said. “And I hope that whatever gets reported because of the disciplinary report is viewed from that perspective — that the vast majority of the people who work here come to work every day, stay out of trouble and do a really great job for the community.”
Some of the incidents stem from 2022 and 2023, but also are listed in this report because of the length of the grievance process, should the disciplined officer appeal.
“We’re required by the Legislature that if there’s a grievance, and the discipline is rescinded by the grievance process, that we have to publish an update. We re-report them because of the change,” Moszkowicz said.
The officer discharged in 2024 is Louie Ondo Jr., who allegedly provided confidential information regarding an active vice investigation to a civilian. Ondo, whose alleged action was reported to prosecutors, is currently in arbitration.
“The grievance process is actually four steps,” Moszkowicz said. “Step one is with the supervisor. Step two is with the employer representative, basically, an assistant chief or a major. If they’re dissatisfied with step one and step two, step three is with the county (Human Resources). That’s county HRs opportunity to make sure … there’s nothing wrong with the discipline from the county’s perspective. And if they’re dissatisfied with step three, then they go to step four, which is arbitration.”
An officer fired in 2023, Aaron Abalos, is back in uniform after arbitration. Abalos allegedly committed an unspecified criminal act, which was reported to prosecutors, but wasn’t charged. He also received a one-day suspension for allegedly exposing himself in public. The suspension was upheld.
The officer terminated in 2023 who’s currently in arbitration is Mark Kaili Jr.
Kaili, then 31, and a 27-year-old acquaintance, Cody Kanahele, were charged with first-degree burglary, a Class B felony carrying a potential 10-year prison term, and third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. The pair entered a Naalehu home, both wearing masks, and assaulted a 20-year-old man male cousin of Kanahele. The victim’s grandfather intervened and unmasked Kaili, who was off-duty.
Kanahele pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced to 30 days in jail with all but one day — which he had already served — suspended. Kanahele also was granted a deferred acceptance of his plea, which means if he stays out of trouble with the law for a year, the conviction will be erased from his criminal record.
Kaili’s burglary charge was dropped in return for no contest pleas to the assault charge and misdemeanor trespassing. He also received a 30-day suspended jail sentence with a deferred plea acceptance, so his conviction could be erased, as well.
The report contains no incidents of malicious use of force, cowardice or use of narcotics. There is one alleged incident of maltreatment of a prisoner.
The longest suspension, 50 days, was meted out to Officer Noah Serrao for a 2023 incident in which he reportedly tampered with evidence, searched a bag without consent or a warrant, falsified government records and was untruthful.
His suspension is final, as are those of three other officers involved in the same incident: Blaine Kenolio, 24 days; Andrew Springer, 16 days; and Sheldon Adviento, six days.
Prosecutors were notified about the incident.
In addition, Sgt. William Brown is alleged to have falsified records and presented false testimony before a grand jury in 2023. He’s charged with perjury, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment, and tampering with a government record, a misdemeanor.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled for trial March 31 before Hilo Circuit Judge Peter Kubota.
Brown, who remains on the force, also was suspended for 23 days, which is final.
The other suspensions are:
• Officer Lauren Pacheco: 15 days and 11 days for separate alleged incidents of failing to activate body camera, violating pursuit policy and being untruthful. She’s in arbitration.
• Officer Levi Comilla: 12 days for allegedly failing to activate body camera, violating pursuit policy and being untruthful. He’s in arbitration.
• Officer Coley Rowe: 10 days for excessive force, final.
• Officer Michael Rutkowski: four days for alleged failure to comply with report-writing procedures. He’s in arbitration.
• Officer Justin Gaspar: three days in an incident in which a citizen complained about two officers forcibly entering her apartment, with one using foul language. Gaspar resigned, and his suspension is being held in abeyance, the report states.
• Lt. Paul Kim: two days for allegedly failing to report for duty and failing to notify his supervisor of his absence. He’s in arbitration.
• Detective/Sgt. Matthew Kaaihue: two days for alleged failure to comply with evidence procedures. He’s in arbitration.
• Officer Colin Pacheco, two days for alleged failure to conduct a complete and thorough investigation, and not returning phone calls to advise the complainant of the status of the investigation, final.
• Officer Isabella Feki, four days reduced to two for allegedly posting on TikTok a video of herself in uniform at the scene of a traffic accident without permission of the police chief or designee, final.
• Officer Reuben Pukahi, one day for allegedly directing a subordinate to dispose of evidence, final.
And Officer Danton Zimmermann’s five-day suspension for allegedly failing to record an incident on body cam and committing a criminal act was rescinded by county HR, according to the report.
Moszkowicz described the reporting procedure, which causes some of the officers’ names and the incidents to appear on more than one year’s report, as “unfortunately the scheme that the Legislature has come up with to address the perceived lack of accountability and transparency in policing.”
“All other government employees — whose disciplinary records become public eventually — are shielded,” he said. “Their identities are protected; their privacy rights are protected during the grievance process. … Anybody else in government, their names are withheld and none of their records are made public until it’s final.
“And when it’s final, it is public — but there’s no reporting mechanism to publicize it.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
