Law enforcement union accuses embattled KPD chief of downplaying lost gun incident

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - One week after HNN Investigates broke the story about Kauai Police Chief Todd Raybuck repeatedly misplacing his gun, we’ve learned the union is calling him out again. This time, they’re accusing the chief of downplaying the seriousness of his actions.

In a statement following the piece, Raybuck admitted he lost his gun, saying he takes full responsibility for leaving his gun in a KPD restroom.

It’s what he wrote next that’s not sitting right with the union.

“We felt the chief was going out of his way to give the impression that the restroom is in a secure area. That it’s only accessed by KPD employees,” said SHOPO spokesperson Dustin DeRollo.

“That in fact is not true. Actually it couldn’t be further from the truth.”

HNN Investigates

Records filed with the Kauai Police Commission show on March 4, Raybuck’s loaded handgun was turned into evidence after an officer found it “in a holster wedged between the wall and the handicap assist bar” of a bathroom at the Kauai Police Department headquarters.

The complaint alleges a similar incident occurred about two years ago when another officer found the chief’s gun in the window sill of that same stall.

“Those are not facts in question. It happened. He did it,” said DeRollo.

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Now, Raybuck could face disciplinary action.

A week after HNN Investigates started asking questions about the lost gun, the chief issued a statement that read in part, “I take full responsibility for leaving my department-issued firearm in the police department employee restroom outside my office. The employee restroom is located in a secured area of the department that requires access via an employee key card.”

It’s that claim that prompted SHOPO business Agent Roy Asher to submit a letter to the police commission Tuesday, expressing his concerns about how the incident was being represented.

DeRollo told Hawaii News Now that “the letter was written out of concern that the chief was downplaying the severity of his actions.”

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HNN Investigates asked Raybuck if he would sit down with us for an interview and respond to that claim.

In an email, a spokesperson said : “Chief Raybuck stands by his initial statement made on April 5th” and that he and the department had “no further comment at this time.”

The restroom in question is located in the chief’s lobby.

“They buzz you in. The door pops open. You walk in,” said DeRollo.

“That restroom is accessible to members of the public throughout the day, whether it be school children there for a visit. Delivery drivers, witnesses, people of interest, suspects. The restroom was not locked. It does not require a key card.”

The letter states KPD staff working in the Department’s Investigative Services Division refer visitors “to use the public restroom where the chief left his firearm unattended.”

The document also includes a photo of more than a dozen children taking a tour of the department.

“Any of those kids who may have had to go to the bathroom that day would have complete access to that restroom,” DeRollo told HNN Investigates. “If they would have done it March 4, what they would have found there was an abandoned KPD Glock pistol fully loaded ready to fire.”

The Kauai Police Commission is expected to discuss the complaint at its next meeting in executive session. If it moves forward, an investigator will be assigned. DeRollo said that if it’s decided discipline is needed the chief could face a serious suspension and potentially termination.

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