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Applicants under
review for Big Isle
police chief

Thirty people have applied
for the post vacated by
Carvalho, who retired

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By Rod Thompson
Star-Bulletin

HILO -- The Hawaii County Police Commission today will begin reviewing applicants who hope to become the Big Island's next police chief.

Most of the meeting will be held behind closed doors in executive session. A standard list of questions has been prepared, and commissioners must now decide what they would consider to be acceptable answers, said Commission Chairman Clarence Mills.

A critic of the department says at least two of the applicants have potential black marks against their names which should draw close scrutiny.

Del Pranke, a member of Citizens for Justice, was hoping to question the Police Commission about their procedures today.

Commission chairman Clarence Mills said last week that 30 people have applied for the post, vacated by Wayne Carvalho on his retirement in October.

Pranke said one high-ranking applicant from the department was involved in an incident a few years ago in which he held a woman in her home against her will until other officers talked him into releasing her. No charges were filed, he said.

He said his knowledge is based on two independent statements and a document from the Fire Department, which had one of its personnel involved in the incident.

Another high-ranking applicant from the department has been linked to the 1996 theft from the Kona police station of about $51,000 in cash being held as evidence, Pranke said. He conceded that the linkage is unproven.

Pranke said his point is that these two applicants should be asked about these allegations. The present list of questions, as commissioners have described them, will apply equally to all candidates and not to particular cases, he said.

But Mills says that background checks have been done on all the applicants, and commissioners will have the authority to ask them about their backgrounds.

Pranke said the names of all the applicants should be released to the public, so that they too can formulate questions for the applicants. Mills said county attorneys have advised the commission that the names of applicants should remain secret unless individual applicants ask that their name be made public.

Following today's meeting, another is set for Dec. 22.

Mills said there is no deadline for making a selection.