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SHOPO poll shows
many want Carvalho out147 of the 192 who responded
By Rod Thompson
to the poll said they want the
Big Island police chief removed
Big Island correspondentHILO -- In the wake of Hawaii County Police Chief Wayne Carvalho's losing a lawsuit that accused him of cheating on department promotions, three-quarters of Big Island police who responded to a union poll said they want Carvalho removed.
The results were released yesterday by the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers.
The poll makes clear that there is widespread dissatisfaction in the department, but how widespread is not clear.
The 147 officers who voted to remove Carvalho represent 77 percent of those who answered. An additional 31 officers voted to keep Carvalho, and 14 had no opinion.
But the union sent out 371 ballots and received only 192 responses. Compared to 371, the 147 votes against Carvalho represent a 40 percent negative vote.
Big Island SHOPO Chairman Emory Springer said the union conducted the poll because someone asked him about morale in the department, and he had no accurate answer.
The question was posed to him after officer Tanny Cazimero filed a complaint with the county Police Commission last month accusing Carvalho of violating a General Order of the department. The order forbids all members from doing anything which brings "disrepute" on the department.
Cazimero says Carvalho's involvement in cheating brought disrepute. His complaint will be considered again by the commission May 19.
Carvalho could not be reached for comment on the SHOPO poll. He has said before that he will not resign and will appeal the verdict in the lawsuit.
In that suit, 19 current and former officers alleged that Carvalho, as deputy chief under Chief Guy Paul during much of the 1980s, helped rig promotions.
Carvalho testified that Paul told him who he "preferred" to receive promotions. Carvalho passed those names to then-Inspector Francis DeMorales, who ran boards that asked promotion candidates oral questions.
DeMorales admitted he gave "preferred" candidates the answers.
But the only power the board had was to give advice to Paul, who had complete control over the final selections.
