New HPD detail
addresses child abuse

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

Once upon a time, what police call "The Killer Couch" might have been a believable story.

"The most common explanation we've heard about how a (young infant) got hurt was, the kid fell off the couch," said John Lim, administrative detective for the Honolulu Police Department's Family Violence Detail.

"We know now it's impossible for, say, a 2-month-old infant to fall off a couch. A year ago, we would have never known that."

Medical terms such as subarachnoid and subdural hemorrhage associated with shaken baby syndrome have also become part of the vocabulary for specially trained investigators assigned to HPD's new Child Abuse Detail.

"Medical evidence is the key in child abuse cases, so it's important that detectives are trained and experienced in talking to doctors who understand shaken baby syndrome," said Deputy Prosecutor Glenn Kim of the Domestic Violence Unit.

"As prosecutors, our case is only as good as the investigation. We're going to be able to institute new procedures because this unit and (Child Protective Services) are building bridges."

From January through September, police have received 963 intake cases from CPS involving children under the age of 18, says Lim.

The cases range from child neglect to assaults.

"A lot of the cases involve poor parenting skills," Lim said. "The main thing is, a year ago, we wouldn't have seen any CPS cases."

The cooperative working relationship is the byproduct of the Serious Child Physical Abuse Task Force, made up of representatives from the Children's Advocacy Center of Hawaii, CPS, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, prosecutors and police.

"A significant improvement in collaboration and communication is helping to track cases better," Department of Human Services Director Susan Chandler said.

"We get a better read and assessment by having police and CPS at a crisis scene at the same time."

The Children's Advocacy Center has spearheaded ongoing training for investigators which includes bringing in experts such as Lt. Bill Walsh of the Dallas Police Department to work with local investigators, Kim said.

Detectives Martha Kwon, Gary Winterbottom, Jerry Trinidad, Walter Ozeki, Shari Romberger, Alex Garcia, Colin Wong and Gary Daniels have been assigned to the Child Abuse Detail, headed by Lt. Danny Lopez.

Until Oct. 1, the 18-member Family Violence Detail, organized about a year ago, investigated child abuse. The detail was split to provide better coverage for child abuse cases.

"It's nobody's fault, but the system was not set up to handle these type cases," Lim said. "Investigating adult-to-adult assault cases is a lot different than adult-to-child assaults.

"We weren't addressing (physical) child abuse. Until you recognize tell-tale signs, it's difficult to identify those cases. The system set up barriers -- some of it has to do with privacy -- between CPS and police.

"We have a lot of work to do in this area. The next step has to be how to stop child abuse, not how to conduct better investigations."

Under a reorganization plan for HPD's Criminal Investigation Division, Adult and Child Sex Crimes has been combined into one detail, headed by Lt. Wayne Fergerstrom, while Lt. Marie McCauley will head the Family Violence Detail.

"We created the child abuse unit because the number of cases has gone up," Assistant Chief Robert Au said. "This also allows us to better streamline the number of detectives assigned to each lieutenant."