Hawaii sheriff's deputies arrested for alleged racial harassment

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Two Oahu sheriff's deputies were arrested within a week of each other on harassment allegations.

The state Department of Law Enforcement confirmed that a total of eight deputies were under investigation for other possible cases.

DLE officials said two deputies assigned to the state Capitol were arrested for alleged racial harassment. One was taken into custody on Monday June 18 and the second was arrested on Monday June 25. One legal expert believes that's actually a good sign.

“While allegations that we don't know much about may be somewhat disturbing, at the same time it's also good to hear that action is being taken in response to this complaint,” said legal expert Doug Chin .

Chin said harassment can take many forms, including physical contact, repeated and unwanted communications – KHON2 asked when the line is crossed when it comes to racial harassment.

“The law is not entirely clear on the limit that should not be crossed. What it does say is that there are different forms of criminal harassment, which can include very foul language,” Chin said. “So it’s not just about the words, but also about how those words are used. »

The accused deputies' attorney said they would not make any statements. DLE officials confirmed Monday evening that six other deputies were under investigation for similar charges and that more arrests may be pending.

“It looks like this, these harassment charges stem from either a civil rights complaint or a harassment or workplace violence type complaint that was filed,” Chin said.

HGEA represents the sheriffs and was unable to comment Monday.