Maui Officer Investigated on Allegations of Attempted Perjury

Maui police have launched a criminal investigation against one of its own officers into allegations of attempted perjury, first degree hindering prosecution and witness tampering.

Police say the officer involved has been with the department for four years.

The investigation stems from information received on Monday, Aug. 19, 2019 from reporter, Lynn Kawano with Hawaii News Now regarding “a potential abuse of authority within the Department.”

Following up on that information the Criminal Investigations Division was able to obtain text messages and voice recordings that support the allegations made against one of its officers, according to information released today by Maui police.

“The Maui Police Department will always take seriously any accusations of misconduct by any of its officers. Upon being made aware of this situation we aggressively investigated this matter,” said Chief Tivoli Faaumu.

Police say that because this is an active investigation the name of the officer will not be released. The department is asking that the victim in this incident contact the department’s Internal Affairs Division.

“We want to assure everyone in our community that we have your safety in mind. If you have a complaint against an officer we encourage you to contact that officer’s supervisor or you can also contact our Internal Affairs Division. If you are uncomfortable with speaking to us you can also file a complaint with the Maui Police Commission,” said Chief Tivoli Faaumu.