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Union will not sway Correa's evaluation, panel leader says


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POSTED: Tuesday, April 07, 2009

The Honolulu Police Commission has completed an assessment of Chief Boisse Correa, and a police union survey will have little bearing on its evaluation, the commission's chairwoman said yesterday.

The commission will meet Thursday with the chief to go over numerous points, and that will weigh more heavily than any survey done by the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers or the chief, who is also doing a survey of top brass.

Chairwoman Christine Camp said the commission has received numerous letters both in support of and in opposition to the chief. But Camp said the commissioners “;will not be swayed or cajoled by any one interest group, including the chief's office.”;

“;Obviously we want the rank and file to work with the chief and want the chief to do well by the people who work with him,”; she said.

However, Camp emphasized that the commission has a duty to review the chief's performance and relationship with it.

She said commissioners will not be pressured by SHOPO and will remain independent of Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who has appointed all the commission members.

When asked whether he is worried about his contract renewal, Correa said the commission is independent and that he has worked hard to meet its expectations.

City spokesman Bill Brennan said Hannemann does not wish to interfere in the commission's evaluation by commenting on his performance.

Meanwhile, SHOPO President Tenari Maafala said the union is not publicly releasing the results of its survey, but did say a large number of the respondents want a new chief, more than the 78 percent in a survey conducted in 2005.

The sealed survey results were turned over to the commission, but its chairwoman said she has not yet seen them.

Correa's five-year contract is up at the end of August.