Maui Police Chief John Pelletier placed on paid administrative leave amid commission investigation

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier has been placed on paid administrative leave following a unanimous 6-0 vote by the Maui Police Commission on Wednesday, department officials confirmed.

The decision comes as the Commission conducts an independent investigation into the Chief’s oversight of the Criminal Intelligence Unit, and any related supervisory actions concerning the Chief as authorized under the County Charter.

This also comes two months after a criminal complaint was filed against high-ranking Lieutenant Michael Vaituulala, who most recently served as the Commander of the Criminal Intelligence Unit. Vaituulala, an MPD officer since 2008, is accused of accepting cash payments in exchange for protecting illegal activities including chicken fighting operations and taking bribes to protect drug operations. He is also accused of disclosing confidential law enforcement information.

Maui Police Department, Deputy Chief Wade Maeda tells Maui Now he believes the commission is wrong in that there’s no criminal case, and no administrative investigation against the Chief. He said the Federal Bureau of Investigation has never indicated any wrongdoing by the Chief or indicated that he had any knowledge of involvement with Vaituulala’s activities.

Maeda, who is serving as Acting Chief pending the outcome of the investigation, said there is no indication as to why Pelletier should be removed. Pelletier was not in attendance at Wednesday’s commission meeting because he was flying back from NJ after giving a presentation at an FBI conference.

During a press conference in August, Pelletier said he was “disappointed, shocked, [and] upset,” following the criminal complaint against Vaituulala and emphasized a “zero tolerance” approach to the incident, initiating both internal and external audits in an effort to restore public trust. 

The remaining Criminal Intelligence Unit members were reassigned to non-investigative duties pending clearance, according to earlier reports.

Maui Now reached out to the Maui Police Commission for comment via phone and email, but did not receive a response at the time of this posting. Check back with Maui Now for further developments and updates.