Cops getting busted! Law Enforcement Today (LET) hates these stories, but they are newsworthy simply due to the profession. And there is nothing that will change that fact.
Today’s account involves a veteran of the Honolulu Police Department, Khanh Le, 51, reported KHON. He was arrested Friday at the Navy Exchange Pearl Harbor. The charges include second-degree theft, unauthorized possession of confidential personal information, third-degree identity theft, second-degree forgery, fraudulent use of credit card, and credit card theft.
Le (pictured) spent several years with LAPD before a lateral move to HPD, according to SHOPO president Tenari Maafala.
Corrupt police officers are a fraction of the overall force. Yet if you follow the news headlines, TV shows, and movies, you’d think it was a 50/50 split. It’s not!
As law enforcement professionals, we do not like reporting about police corruption. Don’t misunderstand, we want the corrupt removed from power, but the overall attention given to the arrest of police officers, compared to other professions, is magnified.
In the past few months we have reported on several officers that have been accused of running afoul of the law. This list does not include officers that have engaged in questionable shootings and subsequent political prosecutions. Each case listed below has nothing to do with on-duty use of force, but criminal allegations beyond the course and scope of being a police officer.
Cops getting busted
March 13 – Rookie Miami Officer Arrested for Armed Robbery
March 10 – Ex-Cop and Behemoth Strongman Commits Suicide In Lieu of Arrest
March 2 – Dark Day for Baltimore as Seven Cops Federally Indicted
Feb 26 – Stopping a Fellow Cop for DUI Investigation
Feb 15 – Former Police Officer of 18 Years Accused of Murder
Jan 17 – Probationary Deputy Arrested Then Fired Following Shooting at Party
Dec 21 – ‘Burial Site’ Discovered; Former Cop Arrested
Dec 16 – Ex-Cop First to be Federally Indicted for Terrorism Charges
Dec 7 – Details Scarce After FBI Agent Arrested Shooting at Local Cops
Detectives compiling cases
More often than not, for every cop that gets busted, it takes dozens of officers to complete the indicting investigation. So kudos to them!
LET’s editor-in-chief, Jim McNeff, knows this too well. Three years ago we published one his original stories titled, My Partner Was a Bank Robber. He chronicled a painful journey watching the life of a good friend and cop spiral out of control. There were many personal and professional factors that ultimately led to the death of his friend, Kevin Arnold, at the hands of FBI agents. We would encourage you to read the valuable lessons he learned during the agonizing excursion.
So the age-old question is this: Was the person corrupt when joining the department, or did corruption encroach afterward?
Every case is different. Clearly there are some officers that never should have worn the uniform, and others that became corrupt after experiencing various compromising circumstances.
Yet for all the cops getting busted and finding themselves behind bars, it takes many other peace officers that are above reproach to compile the criminal case against them.
Finally, we believe that corrupt individuals cannot tarnish the badge; they only stain themselves. But the many who bring the few to justice are noteworthy, because it’s a challenging road to hoe.
(Photo screenshot KHON news report)
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