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National watchdog calls for federal investigation into Maui police handling of remains after Lahaina fire
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National watchdog calls for federal investigation into Maui police handling of remains after Lahaina fire

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A national watchdog of government transparency is expressing deep concern over emerging information about how the Maui Police Department handled human remains in the wake of the Lahaina disaster.

For nearly six weeks, Common Cause Hawaii has called on the Maui Police Commission to publicly question Chief John Pelletier about the department’s apparent missteps in recovering the remains of Lahaina fire victims.

So far the police commission has chosen not to take action.

Now the organization’s national leadership comes into play.

“It seems to me that this may be ripe for a federal investigation,” said Heather Ferguson, director of state operations for ethical governance advocate Common Cause.

“A tremendous amount of federal funding has been allocated to the police department to conduct these investigations. Responding to families affected by these tragic fires. And it seems like there are no answers,” Ferguson said.

“There’s a lot more to uncover in this story,” he added.

The released records, along with MPD depositions and eyewitness accounts, reveal many of the recovery processes and procedures critical to accurately documenting the scene of a person’s death and keeping those remains separate so they are not lost or confused with other groups of remains. was followed.

HNN Investigations confirmed Identification numbers, which must be issued immediately upon discovery of a victim, were not assigned until his remains were moved at least two different times. In all cases, crime scene photographs and GPS coordinates could not be obtained.

MPD leadership also acknowledges instances where body bags were not used to transport deceased from their final resting places.

SPECIAL SECTION: HNN Investigates

In addition, Emails obtained by HNN Investigates reveal apparent confusion Additional bones of a fire victim were found three weeks after MPD deposited the man’s remains at the morgue.

According to these emails, the newly discovered bones could not be separated from the remains of other victims.

We have removed all identifying information for the family’s privacy.

This email read: “I spoke with (morgue worker’s name) earlier today and told her (victim’s name)’s remains have been approved for release and could be picked up on Monday. However, (victim’s name) will be released approximately one day today simply because her body could not be recovered.” hours ago, it was determined that the body could not be released, so what we expect to this point will remain in the custody of the Maui Police and will be dispersed with other “group remains” at a later date.”

The Maui Police Department claims that “no remains have been released without positive identification” and that families have been “carefully notified.”

The family in this case told us they were unaware that some of their loved one’s remains were in the department’s possession.

“It’s hard to refute black and white words on paper like that,” Ferguson said.

Over the past month and a half, HNN Investigates has submitted four separate requests inviting Chief Pelletier to discuss issues related to victim rescue efforts in an on-camera interview. All were rejected.

We also went to the Maui Police Commission and asked how it plans to fix obvious errors.

“The Maui Police Commission will not be making a statement,” Commission Chair Stacy Moniz responded.

Ferguson said: “If I were a member of the public in Hawaii, I would feel that the police commission is not listening to the public’s clarion call for more transparency and about what happened to their loved ones, what happened during the investigation. The public has a right to know.”

When asked why it’s important for the police commission to do its job, Ferguson said: “The police commission needs to provide oversight as well as engagement with the community to ensure the public has a voice.”

If they don’t take action, “I anticipate families could face a barrage of civil lawsuits,” Ferguson said.

The Maui Police Commission will meet at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November 20, at the Maui Service Center on Alaihi Street in Kahului. The public is invited.

Even though this particular issue is not on the agenda, the police chief has an evaluation.

“The culture of a police department comes from the chief of police, and so I think this is an ideal time for the public to voice their concerns and how the department operates and demand answers to their questions,” Ferguson said.

HNN Investigations asked MPD to respond to Common Cause’s request for a federal investigation.

Spokesperson Alana Pico responded in a statement: “Our preliminary after-action report was developed with the help of federal partners and was shared with and submitted to federal agencies. To date, Common Cause has not reached out to MPD with any questions or concerns. They also have not been involved in any work related to last year’s events.” “We didn’t know.”

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