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HPD promotes two
to senior positions

Donna Andersen will lead
Internal Affairs; William Kato
will be head of homicide

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

A woman who graduated from high school at age 16 and a former University of Hawaii offensive lineman will head up the Honolulu Police Department's Internal Affairs Division and homicide detail, respectively.

Donna Andersen, 53, the Criminal Investigation Division's senior executive captain, will become the HPD's fourth highest-ranking female officer when she officially becomes a major Wednesday.

Andersen will succeed retired Cary Tokunaga as commander of the Internal Affairs Division.

Andersen, who graduated early from high school and had her college degree by age 20, has 17 years of HPD experience, including nearly five years as an Internal Affairs detective.

Women account for 213 of the department's 1,970 uniformed officers. With the February promotions, the department will have 16 women officers holding the rank of lieutenant and above.

Lt. William Kato, who headed the task force that quickly resolved last year's American Savings Bank takeover robbery in Kahala, will be the new head of homicide investigations.

The 46-year-old Kato, who succeeds retired Allen Napoleon, is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and the UH. He was an offensive lineman on the 1973 Rainbow team that upset the University of Washington, 10-7, in Seattle.

Kato has been with HPD for 23 years.

Other moves the department will announce this week include the promotions of Darryl Perry, Michael Tucker and Karl Godsey to the rank of major.

Perry will succeed Glenn Peterson as commander of the Juvenile Services Division, Tucker replaces Henry Lau as head of the Central Honolulu patrol district, and Godsey moves into Records & Identification for retired Robert Silva.

Lau is being promoted to assistant chief while Peterson is the new Windward Oahu patrol district commander, succeeding retired Roland Sambueno.