Opinion ID: 1112237
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: discovery of the iad file.

Text: Estrada claims more liberal discovery should have been allowed in face of State's contumacious delays and HRPP Rule 16(b) violations in not disclosing the Anakalea and Ogawa Reports. He asserts the IAD file should have been disclosed for possible relevancy. State responds 1) the IAD file was privileged; and 2) Judge Mossman determined it was not relevant anyway. No absolute privilege insulates police records from discovery. A trial judge should first conduct an in camera review of sensitive police records to fix the scope of discovery on those confidential items sought. Nakagawa v. Heen, 58 Haw. 316, 568 P.2d 508 (1977). The scope of discovery is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Kaneshiro v. Au, 67 Haw. 442, 690 P.2d 1304 (1984). Judge Mossman followed the above procedure, declared the IAD file not relevant, and sealed the file for appellate review. We now reverse his decision barring discovery of the IAD file and disclose its contents in brief summary. The IAD file describes two incidents. The first occurred while Officer Taguma was an HPD recruit (before he formally joined HPD). Officer Taguma allegedly made obscene phone calls to a female acquaintance. Her boyfriend and another male friend attacked Officer Taguma. During the fight, Officer Taguma either claimed he was a police officer or had police officer friends. No charges resulted from this supposed occurrence. The second, however, is far more serious. Officer Taguma was accused of initiating sexual relations with a prostitute he had arrested in return for promising to testify favorably at her trial. The prostitute notified IAD which conducted an investigation. Officer Taguma denied having sexual relations but admitted 1) not reporting she had tried to bribe him after her arrest; and 2) improperly meeting with her. Based on the IAD report, Officer Taguma was allowed to resign instead of being fired for the serious HPD rule violations (the police officer union, the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, had negotiated this settlement). The IAD file contents, if true, display a pattern of misconduct, lying, and abuse of police authority predating Officer Taguma's official entry into HPD. Though evidence of prior bad acts is not ordinarily admissible to prove the character of Officer Taguma to show that he acted in conformity therewith[,] such evidence is admissible under HRE Rule 404(b) when it is relevant and probative of any fact that is of consequence to the merits of the present case. State v. Prince, 67 Haw. 231, 683 P.2d 1217 (1984). The relevant fact here is the controversy over who was the original aggressor under HRE Rule 404(a)(2). See Feliciano v. City and County of Honolulu, 62 Haw. 88, 611 P.2d 989 (1980). We accordingly direct that, on remand, the presiding trial judge shall disclose the entire contents of the IAD file to both sides who shall then have an opportunity to review the evidence and argue which portions should be admitted and which other portions should be excluded. The trial court shall then exercise its discretion in accordance with HRE Rule 403. See State v. Iaukea, 56 Haw. 343, 537 P.2d 724 (1975).