Lingle appoints Gov. Linda Lingle appointed veteran federal prosecutor John Peyton as the new director of the Department of Public Safety. His appointment was immediately praised by Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee, who said the state would be "getting a running start with someone like him."
public safety director
The federal prosecutor is currently
serving the U.N. in BosniaBy Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.com
Bob Awana, Lingle's chief of staff, said yesterday that Peyton, currently serving in Bosnia with the United Nation's Independent Judicial Commission, would be able to start work at the end of April or beginning of May.
Cabinet
nominations
confirmedThe state Senate gave unanimous approval yesterday to five Cabinet nominations made by Gov. Linda Lingle.
Mark Bennett was confirmed as attorney general. Bennett is a former assistant U.S. attorney.
Others confirmed yesterday include Micah Kane, Hawaiian Home Lands director; Rodney Haraga, transportation director; Brigadier Gen. Robert Lee, adjutant general; and Russ Saito, comptroller and director of the Department of Accounting & General Services.
Awana called Peyton "a bright, experienced, tough cop."
As an assistant U.S. attorney in Honolulu in 1985, Peyton successfully prosecuted Ronald Rewald for swindling about $20 million from Hawaii residents. Rewald was sentenced to 80 years in prison but was let out of federal prison in 1995 after suffering a back injury and being confined to a wheelchair.
Peyton also served as the chief litigator for the Central Intelligence Agency.
Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle described Peyton, 58, as being "capable of taking on any kind of assignment you give him."
"I didn't think he was coming back to Hawaii. We are very lucky to get him," Carlisle said.
Peyton will be the third person put in charge of the Public Safety Department since Lingle became governor. She first named Stephen Watarai, a Honolulu assistant police chief, to the post, but he withdrew after saying the police retirement pay schedule made it too costly for him to leave the city.
Hanabusa, whose committee would handle the public safety director's confirmation, had been critical of Watarai's experience. He is also being investigated by police internal affairs and the city ethics director because of allegations that he had ordered police officers to work during a charity golf tournament for a police charity and then take the extra day off with pay.
Watarai denied the charges.
Lingle then named James Propotnick, a retired first deputy U.S. marshal for Hawaii, as interim public safety director.
Lingle has said she wanted the Public Safety Department to be split into two separate departments because it handles both the state prisons and the state protection agencies, such as the sheriff's office and state law enforcement agencies.
Hanabusa said in Peyton's case, his relative lack of experience in running a prison would not be a handicap, because of his experience as a manager.
"He is clearly someone with superb credentials and is a true manager.
"What is necessary is someone who can manage these very different types of duties. Someone who can go to a foreign country and help them set up a judicial system has got to be able look at our prison system and make sense of it," Hanabusa said.
Office of the Governor
State Department of Public Safety
