Honolulu Police Union Alarmed at Spike in Violent Assaults on Officers

A recent series of violent assaults against Honolulu police officers has raised concerns for the union, which hopes prosecutorial changes can help curb the problem.

From May 12-18, police arrested three people for allegedly assaulting officers, KHON-TV reports. In some of those cases, officers were head-butted and seriously injured, according to the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers. 

“An officer was going to arrest somebody, and then he was ambushed from behind," said Robert Cavaco, the union's president. "The two males punched him in the face. He ended up losing his teeth, along with a laceration below his eye, and they fled the scene."

Three more arrests were made Sunday stemming from attacks on officers. And again, an officer was seriously injured from the assault.

“Orbital fracture, broke his jaw. His jaw has to be closed shut for six weeks and the other officer was pushed on a glass table and got cut on his knee and needs 16 stitches,” Cavaco said.

The union blames the increasingly vicious attacks on offenders realizing that the Honolulu Police Department—like so many departments around the country—is facing a staffing shortage. Cavaco hopes the new police chief—retired Army Maj. Gen. Arthur "Joe" Logan, the former head of the Hawaii National Guard who became the department's top cop Monday—will consider shifting resources to better protect officers.

More recently, authorities have made changes designed to work as a deterrent against future attacks. Honolulu's prosecutor's office has added assault of a police officer to the immediate charge list, which also includes murder, armed robbery and kidnapping charges.

“Those cases would always get charged anyway, but it would take a little longer and the way the system works the officer involved might not even know what happened to the case whereas if you can do it immediately they’re going to be kept apprised of it better,” said Steve Alm, Honolulu Prosecutor.