Kaua‘i Police Department Chief K.C. Lum said he doesn’t agree with recent claims that his department suffers from low morale and low public trust. And the chief says he has statistics to back up his claims. The new, federally funded,
Kaua‘i Police Department Chief K.C. Lum said he doesn’t agree with recent claims that his department suffers from low morale and low public trust.
And the chief says he has statistics to back up his claims.
The new, federally funded, KPD Ice Task Force seized over 230 grams of crystal methamphetamine in the first 15 days of 2005.
That’s over half of the nearly 400 grams that was seized in the whole of 2003, Lum said in a phone interview. With a going street price of $40 for a tenth-of-a-gram of “ice,” the crystal methamphetamine seized in the past two weeks is valued at $92,320.
The task force, which combines new KPD and county prosecuting attorney resources, executed a number of search warrants and helped federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrest an O‘ahu man at Lihu‘e Airport wanted on federal drug-trafficking charges, police said.
“It’s very effective,” Lum said of the new task force.
“We’ve got the manpower. We’ve got the people in the right place, (and they are) focusing on usage and distribution of methamphetamine.”
The work generated by the new task force contradicts, Lum said, accusations of low morale, problems with training and overtime, and diminishing public trust that have been leveled against the police department by members of the Kaua‘i County Council.
Some councilmembers have been considering using their investigative powers to launch a probe into the management and direction of KPD.
“How did they use a measurement for morale?” Lum asked. “If morale is bad, there would be no production. You wouldn’t be able to solve cases in a timely fashion.”
And Lum cited the drug busts as well as some other high-profile crimes investigated in the first few weeks of 2005 that have been solved quickly, such as the murder of Weslyn Jerves and a robbery on the Westside.
“I’ve never seen a cohesiveness as we have here,” said Lum. “The morale is very good.”
And if the public did not trust the police department, Lum said, police would not have received the tips to make the arrests they’ve made.
“Now everyone knows (if you call police) something will be done, if it can be done,” he added. “It shows in the number of arrests, the number of cases.”
And police, especially the new task force, have been busy, the chief said.
While Lum would not comment on the logistics of the task force, including how many members are involved and what resources they use, he did say they work closely with members of the KPD Vice Narcotic Section of the Investigative Services Bureau, and Patrol Services Bureau.
Information generated from members of the vice unit as well as patrol officers are further investigated by the task force, and have resulted in over a half-dozen drug arrests and large amount of drugs seized, Lum said.
The addition of more vice officers, through the task-force grant from the federal government initiated by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawai‘i, as well as extra vice positions added by Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste as proposed in this year’s budget, have helped investigations produce results much more quickly, Lum said.
“Every person put in there contributed to the success of the vice unit right now,” Lum said, adding that he expects further drug arrests and more drugs to be taken off the streets. “I expect the good work from all our officers” to continue, he said.
Here is information on recent cases:
- On Jan. 3, officers executed a search warrant at 8367 Elepaio Rd. in Kekaha, police said. They seized 2.4 grams of crystal methamphetamine, assorted drug paraphernalia, ammunition and an illegal weapon. Arnold Bisarra, 36, was arrested for third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, prohibited possession of ammunition, and possession of a prohibited weapon (butterfly knife). Rhoda Lacaden, 32, was also arrested for third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug and possession of drug paraphernalia;
- On Jan. 5, KPD officers, as well as DEA agents, apprehended Eric Ho, 34, of O‘ahu, at Lihu‘e Airport, on a parole violation. He was taken to the Federal Detention Center on O‘ahu to face federal drug-trafficking charges, police said. In relation to that arrest and during a subsequent investigation, KPD officers seized 223.5 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 5.2 grams of marijuana, and assorted drug paraphernalia, they continued. Zukeika Carter, 25, of O‘ahu, was also arrested and charged with first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, and third-degree promotion of a detrimental drug;
- On Jan. 12, KPD officers served a search warrant at 4250A Kanaele Rd. in Kapa‘a. KPD officers said they seized crystal methamphetamine, assorted drug paraphernalia, and drug-sales proceeds. Melody Masten, 50, was arrested for first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, and possession of drug paraphernalia;
- On Jan. 14, police said they served a search warrant at 3184 Fujii St. in Lihu‘e. They seized 4.9 grams of crystal methamphetamine, assorted drug paraphernalia, and a .22-caliber pistol. Rose Napua Kealoha, 26, was arrested for third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug and possession of drug paraphernalia. Troy Chandler, 25, was also arrested third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as hindering prosecution.
Tom Finnegan, staff writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mailto:tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.
