In a report recently released by Honolulu police commissioners, there is major concern for the treatment of Pacific Islanders, Black people and Native Hawaiians by the City of Honolulu Police Department.
Most concerning is the use of force and arrest rates among these demographics. Following the release of this report, the police commission questioned Susan Ballard, the Honolulu police chief, about these disparities and asked her about any plans to improve these areas of concern.
According to 2019 U.S. Census Data, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders made up only 25% of the island of Oahu's population. However, they were the targets of more than 33% of incidents of use of force by the police department. Black residents, who make up only 4.3% of the population, were the target of force in 7.4% of incidents. This information has been made available in the Honolulu Police Department's annual use of force report.
“I don’t think I can stress enough how significant that disproportionate impact is. And I know that there are many, many people in the community who are extremely concerned about it," Police Commissioner Michael Broderick said.
In the report, the term "use of force" is defined as anything beyond routine handcuffing, which is the standard procedure for arrests. Use of force includes anything from a light touch to a guided escort and even shots fired. This means that it is hard to know exactly what occurs during a use of force and how severe it really is. Many times, officers have a legitimate need for use of force, but according to the police department, it is important that officers use the appropriate amount of force that the situation calls for and nothing more.
“It seems to me the problem isn’t so much that the force is disproportionate. It’s that, if there is a problem, it might be that the arrests are disproportionate," Commissioner Doug Chin said.
The commission and the police department are working together to find a solution to the problem, but in the meantime, the police department continues to fall under severe scrutiny along with other police departments around the country.