The live updates from Mauna Kea have been trickling in all day and I brace myself for the images I might see every time I hit refresh. This latest dispatch, though, as I write on Tuesday afternoon, is peaceful. Hawai‘i Public Radio reporter Ryan Finnerty has tweeted that a checkpoint established by activists (also known as protectors or kia‘i of Mauna Kea) to halt construction … [Read more...] about State Arrests Activists on Mauna Kea: Gov. Ige hopes for “the co-existence of culture and science” but others see the dispute as symbolic of the struggle against colonization
Gregg Okamoto
Analyzing the Maui Police Department’s policy governing body worn cameras
Filing a request under Hawaii’s Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA), MauiTime has obtained a copy of the Maui Police Department’s policy regarding its deployment of body worn cameras (BWCs). While I was reporting our Nov. 29, 2017 cover story “What Happened To Accountability,” MPD public information officer Lt. Gregg Okamoto told me the policy was publicly available, but … [Read more...] about Analyzing the Maui Police Department’s policy governing body worn cameras
An open letter to the Maui County Council about the Maui Police Department’s new body camera program
Maui County Council Chair Mike White and the rest of the Maui County Council: Don’t we live in momentous, wondrous times? Futuristic technology seems everywhere right now. Earth-orbiting satellites relay phone, television and internet transmissions, as well as tell you exactly where you’re standing. Pollution-free electric cars and trucks are now on our roads, while automakers … [Read more...] about An open letter to the Maui County Council about the Maui Police Department’s new body camera program
Maui Police finally release Officer Tristin Hickman’s booking photo
And only 16 days after they arrested him! Way, way back on Oct. 26, the Maui Police Department sent out one of their press releases stating that they’d just arrested one of their own: Officer Tristin Hickman, 35, of Kahului. Cops rolling on a domestic violence call on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 24 from an unnamed 26-year-old woman had found Hickman, and had arrested him for … [Read more...] about Maui Police finally release Officer Tristin Hickman’s booking photo
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz wants to make it easier for cops to get body cameras. But will that help the public?
Though they’ve been studying body cameras for the last couple years, the Maui Police Department is only now equipping officers with the devices. According to Gregg Okamoto, the MPD’s public information officer, 89 patrol officers in the Lahaina, Kihei, Hana, Lanai and Molokai districts now wear body cameras. The promise of police officers wearing forward-facing cameras is … [Read more...] about U.S. Senator Brian Schatz wants to make it easier for cops to get body cameras. But will that help the public?