State investigates The Hawaii Paroling Authority has asked the Department of Public Safety's Internal Affairs division to investigate a parole officer after discrepancies were uncovered in parolee records maintained by the employee.
parole officer
Alleged discrepancies in parolee
contact logs lead to the inquiryBy Debra Barayuga
dbarayuga@starbulletin.comThe Paroling Authority had been working with the parole officer as far back as July on performance issues when discrepancies inconsistent with the agency's policies and procedures were discovered, said Tommy Johnson, administrator of the Hawaii Paroling Authority.
Simultaneously, a federal agency Johnson would not identify notified the parole board that the employee had relayed information to it that raised concern for both agencies, he said.
Public Safety's Internal Affairs was asked to look into the information because of the seriousness of the allegations and because it has investigative authority and subpoena powers, Johnson said.
Johnson said he could not discuss the investigation in detail because it is ongoing, but did confirm information about missing records was being looked at.
Parole officers keep chronological records of the contacts they make with parolees or anyone concerning that parolee -- whether by telephone, office or field visit. "We found missing chronological entries that raised concern," he said.
Missing entries can be detected after determining the level of supervision required of the parolee. For example, if the parolee was required to see his parole officer at least two times a month, there should be at a minimum two entries documenting those contacts, Johnson said.
The contacts could either be a visit to the parolee at his home or phone calls to verify employment or curfew restrictions.
Public Safety Director Ted Sakai could not be reached for comment.
State of Hawaii
