Landslide cleared; highway finally open again

HONOLULU — Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard says the reassignment of police union leaders was to address a rise in crime last year.

Ballard testified before the Hawaii Labor Relations Board on Friday after the police union filed a complaint.

The complaint from the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers says the department can’t arbitrarily reassign a union official without cause.

The union leaders were transferred out of a unit that provides peer support and counseling. Sgt. Tenari Maafala, the union president, was reassigned to patrol Waikiki.

The officers claim their new assignments were less desirable.

Ballard says Maafala could have used his seniority to request a different assignment.

The hearings are scheduled to continue next week. The city has filed a motion to dismiss the complaint.