IT'S A LITTLE KNOWN MUSEUM ON
O'AHU THAT HAS A FIVE-STAR
RATING ON THE POPULAR REVIEW
APP YELP.
"AMAZING," "DELIGHTFUL," AND "A
LITTLE GEM" ARE SOME OF THE
COMMENTS.
KATHY MUNENO GIVES US A LOOK,
GUIDED BY A RETIRED POLICE
OFFICER WHO'S FOUND A SECOND
CALLING IN KUPUNA LIFE.
THE MOST UNASSUMING OF MUSEUMS,
AT THE ENTRANCE TO HONOLULU
POLICE HEADQUARTERS.OPENS THE
ON A BREADTH OF FASCINATING
HISTORY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IN
HAWAI'I..
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
OFFICER, MUSEUM MANAGER: "KING
KAMEHAMEHA, HIS FIRST LAW WAS A
LAW ABOUT PROTECTING THE PEOPLE,
PROTECTING TRAVELLERS, PEOPLE
THAT COME THROUGH HIS KINGDOM,
THE LAW OF THE SPLINTERED PADDLE
BASICALLY SAID THE OLD THE YOUNG
THE WEAK
MAY LAY DOWN BESIDE THE ROAD
WITHOUT FEAR OF HARM."
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
OFFICER, MUSEUM MANAGER: "YOU
SEE HP, THAT'S THE FIRST EMBLEM,
SYMBOL OF THE HONOLULU POLICE. "
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
OFFICER, MUSEUM MANAGER: "THIS
IS OFFICER ALFRED KARATTI, HE
DESIGNED THE CURRENT BADGE WE
WEAR TODAY." HE MAY SOUND LIKE A
TOUR GUIDE, BUT RETIRED HPD
OFFICER EDDIE CROOM SAYS HE'S
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
OFFICER, MUSEUM MANAGER: " MANY
PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW THAT DUKE WAS
A SHERIFF, HE RAN THE HONOLULU
JAIL, DUKE RAN
THE HONOLULU JAIL FOR ALMOST 20
YEARS 20 YEARS? YES LAUGH"
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
OFFICER, MUSEUM MANAGER: "HERE
IS HIS FATHER AND HIS FATHER WAS
BUT HE DOES LOVE WALKING AND
TALKING PEOPLE THRU HISTORY,
ESPECIALLY SENIORS.
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
THAT'S THE BEST BECAUSE THAT'S
WHEN I LEARN THE MOST, FROM THE
SENIOR GROUPS, 12:55 WHEN THEY
COME THROUGH I USUALLY HAVE MY
PEN AND PENCIL ON THE SIDE AND I
JUST WALK AROUND AND LISTEN,
THAT'S ALL YOU
HAVE TO DO IS WALK AROUND AND
LISTEN."
ALL OF THIS, A 22-YEAR PASSION
PROJECT SINCE WELL "BEFORE" HE
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
OFFICER, MUSEUM MANAGER: " TO BE
A PART OF SOMETHING THAT'S
TOTALLY TOTALLY UNIQUE, THIS
DEPARTMENT IS UNLIKE
ANY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IN
THE UNITED STATES, OUR BEGINNING
IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY ."
CROOM CAME THRU HAWAI'I ON THE
WAY TO VIETNAM IN 1966, AND JUST
OUR FRAGRANT AIR DREW HIM BACK,
THE AIR FORCE AT HICKAM..
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
OFFICER, MUSEUM MANAGER: " AND I
LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT HAWAII
ABOUT THE CULTURE ABOUT THE
PEOPLE AND THEN I
JOINED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND
COMMUNITY YOU CAN'T STEP ASIDE
FROM IT, YOU CAN'T, I'M A NATIVE
OF
PITTSBURGH BUT I LIVE IN HAWAII,
NO, YOU CAN'T DO THAT AS A
POLICEMAN YOU HAVE TO BE PART OF
THE COMMUNITY AND I FELT PART OF
THE
COMMUNITY, I'VE ALWAYS FELT PART
OF THE COMMUNITY HERE."
HE JOINED HPD IN 89, STARTED
WORKING ON THE MUSEUM IN '97.
THEY PUT UP A FEW PICTURES AND
THINGS LIKE THAT BUT IT WAS
MAINLY PATCHES AND GUNS."
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
OFFICER, MUSEUM MANAGER: " IT
WASN'T UNTIL WHILE WORKING HERE
I READ A BOOK BY LEON STRAUSS
WHICH WAS THE FIRST
DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF THE
HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT AND
THE BOOK BECAME HIS BLUEPRINT.A
TEACHER INFLUENCED A SHIFT.
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
OFFICER, MUSEUM MANAGER: "THE
KIDS WERE OOHING AND AAAHING AND
THIS WHAT
YOU WANT KIDS TO EQUATE LAW
ENFORCEMENT WITH, NOTHING BUT
TO ANSWER BECAUSE SHE WAS RIGHT"
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
OFFICER, MUSEUM MANAGER: " THE
FIRST THING I KNEW I NEEDED TO
DO WAS GET RID OF THE GUNS I
MUST HAVE TURNED IN FOR
DESTRUCTION ABOUT 200 GUNS 3:18
EVERYTHING WAS THERE, I STARTED
TO OPEN BOXES IT WAS
LIKE CHRISTMAS."
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
OFFICER, MUSEUM MANAGER: " I
STARTED TO GET ALL KINDS OF
THEY STARTED TO BRING IN
HIS OFFICIAL TITLE IS HPD MUSEUM
MANAGER, NOT GETTING PAID, BUT
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IT. EDDIE
CROOM, RETIRED HPD OFFICER,
MUSEUM MANAGER: " LAW
ENFORCEMENT IN HAWAII WAS NOT
ALONGSIDE HISTORY WE WERE A PART
OF
IT WE WERE A PART OF EVERYTHING
THAT WENT ON ."
AND AT THE AGE OF WHAT HE'LL
TELL YOU IS THREE SCORE AND
TWELVE.72, THERE'S NO END IN
SIGHT.
EDDIE CROOM, RETIRED HPD
LOVE THIS I LOVE THIS, UNTIL
THIS IS COMPLETE, I DON'T THINK
I'LL EVER REALLY BE DONE
UNTIL UNTIL IT'S COMPLETE."
FOR KUPUNA LIFE, KATHY MUNENO
KHON2 NEWS.