The arrests for drunk driving in Hawaii will now be reviewed. Cause? The Honolulu Police Department is accused of arresting sober drivers as part of an excess of zeal to obtain federal funds and reaching quotas, reports this Friday, May 30, NBC News.
The American Union of Civil Liberties of Hawaii (ACLU) also brought legal actions on Thursday to Honolulu officers.
In recent years, Honolulu agents have arrested “dozen” from drivers who had no external intoxication signs, and who succeeded in the sobriety in the field, according to legal actions.
“None of them was intoxicated”
According to ACLU, the service is animated by a “singular testament” to make drunken arrests, even if they do not lead to convictions.
Supervisors would have granted the order to the agents of the night to return home while paying for a whole work period, only if they proceed to arrest for driving.
“Each of our clients had a blood alcohol level of 0.000. None of them was into poisoning. However, they underwent sustainable damage to their archive and reputation, traumatic arrests and illegal arrests,” said Jeremy O’Steen, lawyer for a cabinet that works in Hawaii Aldu.
“What we are asking today is simple: stop stopping innocent people. Stop manipulating the system,” he added.
In response, the department declared in a press release that “he took these accusations very seriously” and that the officials “began a complete exam of all the drunk driving arrests that date back to 2021”.
Hawaii’s American Union of Civil Liberties indicated significantly that he had read the problem thanks to an investigation conducted by Hawaii News Now, Lynn Kawano.
127 sober people arrested between 2022 and 2024
A collective appeal is notably brought on behalf of three plaintiffs who have been arrested, representing hundreds of other drivers in the same situation as them.
“We are determined to maintain public trust and take appropriate measures if there is a bad behavior,” said the police.
From 2022 to 2024, the Honolulu police arrested 127 people who had a blood alcohol level of 0.000 after an analysis of breath or blood for their influence, according to the trial.
Only 15 people received a ticket and three others were accused of driving under the influence of narcotics, according to legal actions.
Source: BFM TV
