Domestic violence caseloads jump 615 percent
HONOLULU (AP) — Domestic violence caseloads for Honolulu police skyrocketed 615 percent from 2013-16, largely because of a 2014 law change that reclassified abuse suspected in the presence of children younger than 14 to be classified as felonies, according to a report released by a city official.
The report released last week by City Auditor Edwin Young also concluded that there was not a corresponding increase in successful prosecutions.
Domestic violence cases handled by police jumped to an estimated 1,538 in 2016 from 215 in 2013.
City Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro has maintained a “no drop” policy and will prosecute defendants even in cases where victims refuse or are unavailable to testify, leaving a low probability of success, the audit said.
The audit said police and prosecutors do not process cases with the same data collection system, making it difficult for them to share information when needed. It also said police and prosecutors, along with the state Judiciary, have different procedures for dealing with domestic violence cases.
The audit recommended that police and prosecutors agree to develop a common domestic violence system that allows them to share information while limiting access to sensitive or confidential information.
HMO Kaiser to spend $50M on Maui hospitals
WAILUKU, Maui (AP) — Kaiser Permanente Hawaii plans to spend more than $50 million to expand three Maui hospitals.
The HMO says it will expand services, update technology and aim to improve patient care after it takes over the hospitals July 1.
Kaiser will assume control of Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital &Clinic and Lanai Community Hospital, and pledges to inject more resources into the facilities that serve about 200,000 residents and visitors.
Kaiser said it is committed to improving access to care in Maui County so patients have the ability to get care where they live instead of having to be transferred to Honolulu hospitals.
Kaiser also promised to keep the facilities open to the public, including non-Kaiser members and doctors, and operate as community hospitals.
WWII veteran’s remains to be buried in Texas
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The remains of a Texas sailor who died in the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are returning home.
George Anderson Coke Jr.’s remains were recently identified after his family provided DNA samples for testing. Before then, his remains were buried in a mass grave on Oahu alongside other crewmen.
The Arlington man went into service in early 1941 and served aboard the USS Oklahoma. Nearly 430 crewmen were killed after Japanese warplanes launched torpedoes at the ship on Dec. 7, 1941.
In 2015, the Defense Department announced it would exhume the bodies of unidentified USS Oklahoma crew members and try to identify them.
Coke will have a public memorial service with full military honors Saturday. He’ll be buried in Parkdale Cemetery, next to his parents.
“It just gives you goose bumps that after all this time, he will be back in the hometown he loved and the people he loved,” said Geraldine Mills, executive director of the Arlington Historical Society. “I think it is a fitting conclusion.”
