A lawsuit says Honolulu police are arresting people for impaired driving even when they are sober
May 29, 2025
The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii has filed a lawsuit alleging Honolulu police officers are arresting sober drivers in an overzealous focus on making drunk-driving arrests. The lawsuit says Honolulu officers have arrested “scores” of drivers who show no outward signs of impairment, perform well on field sobriety tests and whose breath tests often show no alcohol. ACLU Hawaii says officers are focusing on arrests even if they don’t result in convictions in an attempt to show they are protecting the public and to use arrest numbers to gain federal funding. In response, Honolulu police said they are reviewing all impaired driving arrests dating to 2021.
