Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz told about 50 who attended a panel discussion Saturday at East Hawaii Cultural Center “trust is the currency” that leads to better relations between the community and police.
“If you go to the police department as a banking system, if I have no trust in my account, I can’t go make a withdrawal. I can’t do anything,” Moszkowicz said. “If the public doesn’t trust their police department, then essentially, we’re powerless.”
The forum, “Community and Policing,” began with four University of Hawaii at Hilo students presenting findings of a research study they helped conduct as part of a 300-level criminology class taught by Ellen Meiser, a UH-Hilo assistant professor of sociology. The study was initiated by EHCC with funding from the Hawaii Council for the Humanities.
According to Carol Walker, EHCC’s executive director, EHCC commissioned the study to honor the history of its building at 141 Kalakaua St. — which, decades ago, served as Hilo’s police station, courthouse and jail.
Researchers surveyed 250 individuals of diverse ages and backgrounds.
According to the study, the top three safety concerns in East Hawaii are drugs, property crime, and a lack of police presence.
Only about 1 in 3 respondents feel there is currently a positive relationship between the community and the police department, according to the survey. That’s down significantly from the 73% who felt the police and community had a positive connection between 1930 and 1970, the study states.
Despite that, about 80% surveyed feel comfortable contacting police to report a crime, but almost half, 49%, don’t believe police treat all people fairly.
And 19% report that they or their families are directly impacted by incarceration. That’s significantly lower than the national rate of 1 in 2 adults being impacted by incarceration, according to a 2019 Cornell University and FWD.us study.
Complete results of the local study are online at easthawaiipolicingstudy.com.
According to Moszkowicz, better sharing of information by police is one way to improve community trust.
“I see a huge opportunity for us to use technology to share that kind of information more proactively, including arrest logs,” he said. “And I think with that, maybe trust starts to form and develop a little more.”
Moszkowicz said some information has to remain confidential, however, “because we’re chasing bad guys who don’t want to be found by us.”
Elroy Osorio Jr., a 35-year police veteran who retired in 2006, said that police and community relations were better in his early days in the department, but changed over time.
“It’s not just the community’s fault; it is the officers’ fault,” Osorio said. “The police officer on the beat had to forge community relations.”
Osorio said he encountered resistance for advising officers to “put your windows down.”
“I know it’s hot, and you’ve got your air-conditioner on, but put the windows down, and take off your sunglasses when you drive around. Look at people,” he said. “Wave to people. If you get a chance, and you’re not doing anything, get out and talk to them.
“But police became very defensive after a while because of things that were taking place. And it’s allowed them to develop this us-against-them mentality, which is not productive. And it’s something that has to be changed.”
Iopa Maunakea, founder of Men of Pa‘a and executive director of Kanaka O Puna, said police and other government agencies are “doing the best they can with what they have.”
“They’re short on bodies; they’re short on people. You hear it all the time,” Maunakea said. “The question is, ‘Where are we in this? How do we get involved? How do we engage?’ That’s the question we should be asking ourselves.
“If we don’t step up, who’s going to step up?”
Hawaii Community Correctional Center, the antiquated and chronically overcrowded state-run community jail in Hilo, also was discussed Saturday.
According to the May 15 population report by the Department of Public Safety, HCCC had 298 inmates, a 132% occupancy rate over what DPS describes as its “operational capacity” of 226 inmates. If the design capacity of 206 inmates is used as the baseline, the occupancy rate is 145%.
After touring the facility in January, Third Circuit Chief Judge Robert Kim described the jail’s conditions as “atrocious” to Honolulu Civil Beat and added, “I encourage all judges to be judicious in who we send to jail.”
One audience member said she was “really hopeful we get some action on HCCC, because it can’t wait any longer.” Although another 48-bed wing is under construction, the woman said she wasn’t talking about more beds at the jail.
“We want people out of that facility and in a position to heal and get the help that they need,” she said.
Amanda Alvarado, Restorative Justice project coordinator for the county prosecutor’s office, replied, “It was devastating to witness some of the conditions.”
“I hear people in the public saying, ‘Oh, they got themselves in there,’ or ‘It’s a prison. Why do we have to spend this kind of money?’” Alvarado said, and added inmates need to be treated with respect as community members.
“And we’re not talking about not having a TV. We’re talking about not having access to a toilet. Not having access to clean water. Being put in a Matson container with no windows or lighting. That is completely different than, you know, not having your sheets changed every day,” she said. “… Yes, if we have more bed space, I believe in that. But we need better facilities. The facilities are not OK.
“We treat animals better.”
Moszkowicz said he understands that some pretrial detainees probably shouldn’t be in the jail, but added there are “unintended consequences” when judges grant supervised release — a form of “cashless bail” — as the default for arrestees at initial court appearances.
“There are people we arrest on a fairly regular basis, every day of the week, who are being released on supervised release who immediately go and reoffend,” he said.
Moszkowicz noted that attempted murder suspect Keola Whitehead-Shibata, accused of last week’s shooting at the Salvation Army in Honokaa, was freed on supervised release in a felony case.
“One of the unintended consequences of the facility being in such poor condition and so overcrowded is that people who need to be there can’t be,” he said. “There is an arbiter … who decides who’s going to be there and who’s not going to be there. And that’s the Judiciary.
“I know they’re another small piece of the overall puzzle and don’t control the conditions there, but they’re the gatekeeper of who’s there and who’s not.”
Mayor Mitch Roth was in the audience, but didn’t speak or answer questions.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.