New police commission head
has 30 years experience

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

As the Honolulu Police Commission's new executive officer, George Clemente is succeeding a man who hired him as a federal drug investigator 30 years ago.

"He influenced me to get into federal law enforcement and that opened a lot of windows for me," the 57-year-old Clemente said of John Y.Y. Lee, who retired last month after serving 11 years as executive officer.

"As an investigator, I learned what law enforcement was all about and was able to see the country."

Clemente, a Kauai native and Honolulu police officer from 1966 to 1968, retired from the Drug Enforcement Administration last March.

During his 30-year career, the San Jose State graduate worked his way up from an investigator on the streets to administrative positions, including a 1988 stint as agent-in-charge of the DEA's Kansas City office.

Clemente worked at DEA headquarters in Washington before returning home in 1992 to become a supervisor in the Hawaii office.

Commission Vice Chairman Leonard Leong said Clemente's administrative and field experience impressed the commission, which chose him over seven others who applied for the position.

"As an administrator, he's had lots of previous experience dealing with personnel problems, citizen complaints and the conduct of law enforcement officers," Leong said.

Lee encouraged him to apply for the commission job, Clemente said.

As executive officer, Clemente supervises a staff of seven, which includes three investigators.

He will assist staff in investigating and reviewing police complaints, Clemente says.

"I was satisfied with what I accomplished in federal service, but what I'm doing now still feels like law enforcement," Clemente said.

The commission wants its office to be accessible to people who have complaints about police, Leong said.

"When people file complaints, they should be able to call back and ask questions until the complaint is resolved," Leong said. "We want to make sure the complete staff is cooperating."

Lee, who is planning a move to Carson City, Nev., left his mark on the commission.

"He maintained the independence of the Police Commission as a separate entity from the Police Department," Leong said. "John was a good executive officer with the ability to get to the bottom of things."