LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Controversy continues to swirl around Kaua'i Police Chief K.C. Lum, with the County Council voting to launch an investigation of police budget overruns, the handling of federal grants, disciplinary actions against officers and other issues.

Councilman Mel Rapozo said Lum, who was named chief in September 2004, will be a focus of the inquiry, which will be conducted by the council's Committee of the Whole.

"I think it's critical. I think it needs to be done right away. I think it needs to be done thoroughly," said Rapozo, a private investigator and former police officer.

Rapozo said he feels Lum is the problem. "I don't believe he's qualified to be the chief of police," the councilman said.

Lum said he welcomes an investigation, but is frustrated by the extended threat of an inquiry without one getting under way. The council has been discussing the possibility of an investigation for the past year.

"There are a lot of rumors and allegations" that have not been supported by facts, Lum said.

Last week, the council voted 6-0 to establish its Committee of the Whole as an investigative committee. Rapozo pointed out that even if an investigation finds fault with Lum, the council has no authority to remove him. That responsibility lies with the police commission.

Hanalei resident Ray Chuan, a longtime critic of the council, favors a probe of the police department but said the elected panel is not the the right body to conduct the inquiry. "They have the authority, but it's not their job. This is so complicated and so personal, and nobody is thinking about the community and the department," Chuan said.

"If they have a specific complaint, they should turn it over to the county prosecuting attorney or the state attorney general or the U.S. attorney."

Chuan said the Kaua'i Police Department has long been fractured by different factions working against one another. Those divisions led to the departure of the previous chief, George Freitas, he said.

"There is no doubt from their behavior that they (the council) want to get rid of the guy because he's an outsider. He's not one of the boys," he said.

Lum, a 22-year Kaua'i officer, is originally from the Mainland and has been under fire virtually since he took the top post. Just weeks after being named chief, police commissioner Leon Gonsalves Sr. referred to Lum in an e-mail as "Hop Sing," a character from the "Bonanza" TV series. Mayor Bryan Baptiste asked Gonsalves to step down from the commission, but he refused, saying his remarks were mischaracterized.

Other troubles include several lawsuits over police actions, and a first-time deficit. The police department overspent its overtime budget by $550,000 and ended the 2005 fiscal year with a $322,000 budget shortfall.

Rapozo said the council still needs to determine how it will conduct the investigation and whether it should hire an attorney or an investigator. The inquiry likely will get under way early next year.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.