LIHU‘E — The State of Hawai‘i Organization of Police Officers is calling for the immediate resignation of Kaua‘i Police Department Chief Todd Raybuck following The Garden Island’s report citing an investigation led by the Kaua‘i Police Commission sustaining allegations of violating policies against discrimination and creating a hostile work environment for an officer based on race.
Late Wednesday night, SHOPO released a joint statement from state board of directors President Malcolm Lutu and Kaua‘i Chapter Chair Christopher Calio. Earlier in the day, a representative said the union would be withholding comment until after the commission released its official findings.
“These charges and findings involving blatant racism is appalling and will not be tolerated by SHOPO and our rank-and-file officers,” the statement reads. “Assuming the reported findings are true and accurate, we find it shocking that a top law-enforcement leader would bring such racist sentiments into our community.
“It breeds public mistrust in those who are sworn to protect and uphold the law. Given these findings, such abusive conduct absolutely cannot be tolerated and SHOPO demands Chief Raybuck’s immediate resignation.”
Tuesday, The Garden Island published a report citing a Feb. 26 letter written by commission Chair Catherine Adams sustaining an internal complaint of Raybuck making comments disparaging of Japanese culture and mocking Asian stereotypes through squinting, bowing and speaking in an accent on two separate occasions.
Other allegations, per a document from county Human Resource Director Annette Anderson, revealed an independent review did not find Raybuck guilty of
favoritism and non-selection for promotion in retaliation.
As of Thursday morning, Raybuck and KPD had not made any public comments.
The Police Commission hired Raybuck in March 2019 as a retired, 27-year veteran of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
The commission first received the internal complaint in September 2020, and have been meeting in executive sessions to discuss the matter since. Adams, on Wednesday, said the commission is not able to discuss the matter further.
“We are not at liberty to provide additional details, as this involves an active, ongoing complaint being reviewed in executive session,” Adams said in a statement.
The commission is the sole authority that can take action on the complaint, and is responsible for the hiring and firing of any police chief.
Mayor Derek Kawakami, the grandson of a Japanese immigrant, said Wednesday these allegations are not consistent with the Raybuck he has worked with the last two years, and if true he would be inclined to forgive.
“These allegations do not reflect the Chief Raybuck that I know and work closely with. If found to be true, I feel a deep obligation to forgive, and this will not impact my ability to work together with him moving forward to serve the people of Kaua‘i,” Kawakami said in a statement.
However, Kawakami did acknowledge that as a leader in the community, “we are held to a higher standard and acts of discrimination cannot be tolerated.”
”I humbly ask our people to not play the role of judge and jury, and that we give our chief a chance to explain himself and his actions,” Kawakami said.
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Sabrina Bodon, public safety and government reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or sbodon@thegardenisland.com.
