Hawai‘i Police Department
Office of the Chief
Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz
Phone: (808) 961-2244
Media Release
Earlier this afternoon, Hawai‘i Island police officers arrested and charged Hawai‘i Police Department (HPD) Detective William Brown for Perjury and Tampering with a Government Record.
Brown, who was off-duty at the time of the arrest, was ordered by a judge to be released on his own recognizance. The arrest warrant was filed by the court just before 2:00 p.m. today.
On July 18, 2023, HPD learned of allegations that four months earlier, in March, Brown, then a detective with the Area I Vice Section, submitted a false government record and provided false testimony during a grand jury proceeding. Upon learning of these allegations, HPD’s Office of Professional Standards (OPS) immediately worked with the Hawai‘i County Office of the Prosecutors Attorney (OPA) to make arrangements to have the subject of the grand jury testimony released from custody. In addition, personnel from the OPS Criminal Investigation Section began a criminal investigation into Detective Brown, which resulted in today’s charges.
While OPS conducted an internal administrative investigation, the department moved Detective Brown away from his investigative assignment. The ongoing internal investigation that started in July is expected to be completed by the end of the month. Following his arrest, Brown was placed on leave without pay pending the outcome.
“If proven, these charges represent a significant breach of the public trust” said Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz. “The actions described in today’s court filing are not acceptable and are inconsistent with the department’s commitment to conduct business with the highest level of integrity.”
After it was investigated by the HPD-OPS Criminal Investigation Section, the case underwent a legal process known as Information Charging Non-Custody (ICNC). As members of the Hawai‘i County OPA were potentially witnesses to the testimony and documents in question, the case was conferred with a Deputy from the State of Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General’s Criminal Justice Division. In ICNC cases, after investigators confer a case with prosecuting attorneys at the county or state level, a judge then reviews the case and, if appropriate, signs an arrest warrant containing details of the criminal charges.
