HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Honolulu Police Commission listened to public testimony on Wednesday, Oct. 6, accusing Stephen Gerona, former CID commander, of alleged bullying and harassment.
A recent lawsuit accused Gerona for apparently mishandling the Kytana Ancog missing child case. Ancog went missing in early 2021 when her father did not return her to her mother. Gerona allegedly discouraged a Maile Amber Alert and early investigation for the toddler.
Other alleged complaints against Gerona include how he and former police chief Susan Ballard apparently rigged test scores for recruits, as well as how he allegedly retaliated against those who exposed overtime that was being funded by pandemic money.
“The most challenging task for our new chief will be achieving solidarity because we’re broken. HPD is plagued with two issues: nepotism and dissension. These are symptoms of systematic failures. It’s easy to see this because HPD keeps repeating history, the wrong side of history,” said Detective Maile Rego.
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According to the interim police chief, a thorough investigation must be done before further disciplinary action can be taken.