Honolulu Prosecutors Have Long Been Stymied When Investigating Police Killings. That’s About To Change … The city largely leaves it to the police to investigate themselves when a civilian is killed. The new prosecuting attorney has plans for reform.
For decades, every time an on-duty Honolulu police officer killed someone, prosecutors issued a memo to the police chief.
While the facts differed in each case, every memo came to the same conclusion: The use of deadly force was legally justified.
Now, in the aftermath of two fatal shootings by the Honolulu Police Department this month, the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says it is rethinking how it reaches those conclusions.
