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Ex-police chief Former Police Chief Michael Nakamura says Mayor Jeremy Harris is a micromanager who tried to influence decisions at the Police Department for political gain.
says Harris tried to
micromanage the
department
The present chief says
working with the mayor
has been positiveBy Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin"I saw how he made decisions and it wasn't necessarily based on what was good for the public," said Nakamura, chairman of the campaign of mayoral challenger Mufi Hannemann.
Harris, in response, denied micromanaging the Police Department.
Meanwhile, Police Chief Lee Donohue, who was chosen by the Police Commission to take over the department after Nakamura resigned at the end of 1997, said his experiences working with Harris have been much more positive.
Nakamura accompanied Hannemann on a visit with the Star-Bulletin's editorial board yesterday.
"I sat in on too many meetings where political concerns overrided the public welfare and that's why I'm on Mufi's team," he said.
"In my interactions with the mayor, many times I had to warn him about not taking the course of action that he wanted to because of civil liability," Nakamura said. "Sometimes he jeopardized ongoing police programs that we had that he wanted to replace with one of his programs."
The former chief said Harris once wanted police to remove homeless people who were sleeping in Kapiolani Park. "My concern was if we did that, my people would be standing to answer to charges of violations of civil rights."
Nakamura said there was also a longstanding agreement that police would allow the homeless to sleep in the park at night so long as they stayed out of Waikiki.
Eventually, he said, the department and homeless advocates persuaded Harris it would be a bad idea.
Harris, in response to Nakamura's criticism, said he sympathizes with the plight of the homeless but that "it is inappropriate for them to live in our parks."
Nakamura said Harris also did not think things through when, at the request of a constituent, he sought to open the blinds at the former Chinatown police substation to allow the public to see inside.
The chief said he objected because it meant "an open shot" for anyone seeking to cause harm to the officers inside. Nakamura said city officials have shuffled existing police-related funds to the Police Department, making it look like they were beefing up the department while the funds didn't add any benefit.
Harris denied unduly influencing the Police Department. "We have a great Police Department with great leadership," the mayor said. "There is no need for me to micromanage the department."
Donohue, who said he is remaining neutral during the mayor's race, said: "I have never had the experience of having the mayor micromanage me."
Donohue said there have been times when Harris will pass on complaints from the public. "And we'll respond to those. I think that comes along with the job."
The chief noted that since he took over, the number of sworn positions has increased by 108 positions to 2,034 and the number of training personnel increased.
The department has also seen its overall operating budget increase, despite cuts elsewhere in the city, and added new facilities.
Donohue said he and the mayor have also disagreed on occasion on some policy points.
The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers has not endorsed a mayoral candidate this year. Hannemann won support from a majority of members casting votes but an executive panel threw out the results, stating there were not enough ballots.
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