Pubdate: Tue, 16 May 2000 Source: West Hawaii Today (HI) Copyright: 2000 West Hawaii Today Contact: P.O. Box 789, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96745-0789 Fax: 808-329-4860 Website: http://westhawaiitoday.com/ Author: Bobby Command/ West Hawaii Today POLICE CHIEF UNDER FIRE CONCERNING MARIJUANA ERADICATION FUNDS A complaint that the chief of police falsified documents when he endorsed an application for federal Green Harvest funds will be heard this week by the Hawaii County Police Commission. The commission meets 10 a.m. Friday at the Mauna Loa Room of the Kona Surf Hotel. Del Pranke, a police watchdog from Puna, said Police Chief Wayne Carvalho violated federal regulations when he signed a letter of agreement April 11 with the Office of Justice Programs to accept $265,000 for marijuana eradication. Similar concerns about Carvalho's role were partially responsible for the Hawaii County Council's finance committee deferring acceptance of the money until the matter was clarified by county lawyers. The letter of agreement requires an authorized officer or employee to sign a form that states: "The applicant certifies that it and its principals ... have not within a three-year period preceding this application been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain or performing a public transaction under a public transaction; violation of federal or state antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements or receiving stolen property." In December, Carvalho lost a civil lawsuit over rigged promotions in the Police Department. A Big Island jury found the chief committed fraud and engaged in bribery and racketeering against the 19 current and former officers who sued him. Pranke said the Police Commission may try to consider the complaint against Carvalho during an executive session. Hawaii law requires the commission to approve executive session by a two-thirds vote. Pranke said he does not believe the issue should be discussed in private and will not leave the room if the executive session is approved. "I'll get arrested if I have to," he said. "Hawaii's Sunshine Laws don't allow for this to go into executive session." Should the County Council reject the grant, police officials have said they will not stop marijuana eradication. However, they have said their efforts will be hampered severely. Most of the federal grant money is used to rent helicopters, which are used to fly over areas and spot marijuana plants, and to pay overtime for officers who participate in eradication missions. Carvalho did not return a telephone call Monday from West Hawaii Today. Pranke said he also will ask the Police Commission to investigate the way the forms were filed. According to the letter of agreement between the Hawaii County Police Department and the DEA, a pre-signed agreement was forwarded to Carvalho with the special agent in charge endorsing the agreement March 16, almost a month before Carvalho signed it. "Does the DEA approve blank documents and give them to the police department, or was the special agent simply off by a month?" Pranke asked. "If the first is true, then that raises some big questions about how these programs are really monitored." - --- MAP posted-by: Allan Wilkinson