Podcast #14 - State Legislator Takashi Ohno on emergency inmate releases, public safety, and bill to elect Honolulu's next police chief

Takashi Ohno is a Hawaii State Representative serving the Nuuanu, Liliha, Alewa Heights district (Pali area). He currently serves on the public safety committee and was vocal in his opposition to the emergency releases of inmates housed at OCCC due to Covid-19.  He has a bill ready for introduction next session to ELECT the chief of police.  Currently, the chief of police is appointed by the Police Commission.  

Emergency Releases:

As of the recording of the podcast, 6/26/20, there were zero active cases of covid-19 in any of jails or prisons locally both on the state and federal level.  Because of this fact, the emergency releases, which were founded on an "emergency humanitarian" basis, seem unjustified.  500+ inmates were released, and within 30 days, 57 re-arrests were confirmed.

One of the re-arrests,  was A-1 Nick's neighbor, whom A-1 has been a client of for 20+ years.  The elderly business professional was beaten up with a golf club by an emergency releasee.  This defendant had been denied supervised release, due to dangerousness to the community.  He was released anyway due to the emergency humanitarian release motion filed by the public defenders office.  He missed court, was picked up on the bench warrant, and now is awaiting sentencing in custody.  This is just one story of a re-arrest.  

Another alarming aspects of the emergency releases was the inability of the court to reconcile how homeless releasees would be able to also follow the governor's "stay at home" order to reduce the spread of covid-19 upon release.  

Unfortunately, no party took up the responsibility of finding shelters, in-patience drug treatment beds, half way homes, or a check in program via phone or "live" check ins through the Oahu intake service center.  These solutions were not implemented.

Mr. Ohno addresses the pros and cons of Special Master Foley's involvement in mediating the process for emergency releases.  A huge CON A-1 Nick points out, is that Special Master Foley refused the responsibility of granting a release or denying a release.  He foisted the responsibility back onto the jury trial judges, after making recommendations on a case by case basis.

Mr. Ohno discusses buying the current Federal Detention Center then converting it to a state jail.

Transparency has been a huge movement in reference to police discipline records.  Mr. Ohno and A-1 Nick discuss HB 285 which plans to make public the names of officers suspended or fired due to police misconduct.

Before elected office, Takashi was a public school teacher that decided that an educator’s voice was needed at the Legislature.

About Takashi

Mr. Ohno, has wholeheartedly jumped into the work to improve his community and state. From overseeing audits of the DOE to rewarding our best teachers, he has been a strong voice for education. Takashi has worked to reform government and passed legislation to better keep our politicians accountable.

Takashi developed an interest in government growing up because of his dad’s nightly habit of watching the NewsHour with Jim Lehr. Takashi admired his teachers in school and aspired to become one himself. He studied education at Linfield College and eventually became a public school teacher himself in Honolulu.

The spark that led him to elected office happened during the infamous “Furlough Fridays” debacle. Takashi followed the debate at the state capitol intently, and the more he learned, the more he grew frustrated, and the more he became involved. Takashi successfully ran for office against a long term incumbent and was elected to the Hawaii State House of Representatives in 2012. 

Takashi initially served as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Education championing greater investment in schools and modernizing