A Kauai boy goes home to be police chief
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Thirty-plus years in law enforcement combined with the motivation to make a difference in his hometown make Darryl Perry a natural fit for his new job as Kaua'i police chief.
He called the chief's job "a gift, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"When I think about going back home, I reflect on my father, my grandparents, and how they started out ... the trust they had for the police officers," Perry said. "I want to recapture that feeling of trust and being able to count on the police department and officers to make the right decisions."
Perry, 57, retired in December 2002 as a Honolulu Police Department major. From 1995 to 2002, he commanded the Criminal Investigation, Narcotics/Vice, and Juvenile Services divisions. He also has 3 1/2 years of prior service as a Kaua'i police officer in the 1970s.
The pending protests over the Hawaii Superferry's eventual return to Kaua'i could be the new chief's baptism under fire.
Perry planned to touch on the Superferry protest issue in his acceptance speech today but discussed it last week during an interview with The Advertiser.
HPD Chief Boisse Correa coordinated security for the 2001 Asian Development Bank conference in Honolulu, which Perry was involved with. The new chief hopes to meet with protesters ahead of time just as police did in 2001.
"The plans concerning security are already in place, so not only protesters but our officers, too, will be safe — nobody is going to get hurt," Perry said. "We don't want any confrontations.
"What I would like to do is meet with the protesters and whoever is the leader or informal leader to see if there's some way that we can collaborate and come to some kind of compromise to find a middle ground," Perry said. "I think we can do it. If it doesn't work, then what I'm going to do is assure that the officers secure the place, keep people safe and protect constitutional rights and rights to assembly.
He continued, "But if it comes to the point where we have to take enforcement action, I don't want our officers to hesitate. If it has to be done, it has to be done.
"We learned a lot from the Asian Development Bank conference. It was successful ... because the demonstrators and protesters were exchanging information (with HPD). We talked it out and we were able to come to a reasonable agreement on how it was going to be done. I truly believe it can be done on Kaua'i, too."
Before leaving O'ahu last week, Perry received some advice from retired HPD Chief Lee Donohue.
"Chief Donohue told me whatever decisions I make, make sure it's fair to the community, it's fair to the department, and it's fair to the individual," Perry said. "Those are three criteria I'll look at.
"I'd say I'm 90 percent by the book, but there's always that 10 percent where you look at rules and regulation and say, these are just guidelines," he said. "There are situations where it just doesn't fit. That's where your training, experience and gut feeling comes into play."
Perry is an organized, low-key tough administrator — but personable. One of the first things he plans to do as chief is to introduce himself to every officer and civilian employee, just as the late HPD Chief Michael Nakamura did.
"Chief Nakamura was a people person who liked to go out and find out what's really going on," Perry said. "Being able to voice how they feel has a positive effect on an individual. I may not be able to have all the answers for them, but at least I'll listen. When you have someone willing to listen, it helps morale."
The Lihu'e native and former Kaua'i High basketball star says his goals for the department are:
Kaua'i has the only unaccredited police department in the state, according to Perry.
Accreditation is his No. 1 long-term commitment, Perry said.
"It's a tough process that takes about three years," Perry said. "For a department our size, it'll cost about $14,000.
"Once you're accredited, it helps the department because you're using best practices; your directives, policies and procedures are up to par with all the other departments," he said.
"It involve how we do business, how we process an individual, how we handle our narcotics cases, how we speak to the media, how we conduct our investigations, raising our standard of recruit training."
But before anything can happen, Perry knows he has to earn the trust of his officers.
"My philosophy is work hard and be honest with yourself and the community," Perry said.
"This department is like in any organization, you're going to have your outstanding officers who are motivated to do the right thing, and you're also going to have your one-percenters who may stray. I want to make sure everyone understands that any acts of misconduct — although we'll look at it individually — will not be tolerated."
Perry said Kaua'i police work is unique in some ways.
"It's a very personable department," Perry said. "The community is still relatively small, there's only about 65,000 people on the island, so there's a personal relationship — 'I know your cousin's uncle's brother' — and so what we need to do is continue to develop that very unique relationship.
"One of the things I like about Kaua'i is that sense of 'ohana," he said. "I hope we can develop that within the department, get everyone together for the common goal."
Based on input gathered from community meetings in Kilauea, Kapa'a, and Lihu'e to Waimea, Perry said, the consistent crime concerns involve traffic issues — speeders and reckless driving — drugs, lack of youth programs, and vandalism.
"I would like to work with the community and address those specific issues and attend their meetings to learn more."
Perry said there are special benefits to being a Kaua'i police officer, which he will promote to fill the 22 vacancies in the 125 member department.
"At HPD, when an officer goes to the scene, he handles the case, submits it and it goes to misdemeanor follow-up or to criminal investigations," Perry said. "The officer rarely gets involved with further investigation.
"On Kaua'i, the beat officer who handles the case does the follow-up and may even be working directly with the detective to solve the case," he added. "So there's an on-hand type of working environment here."
Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
