HONOLULU (KHON2) — Three of Hawaiʻi four counties are searching for Police Chiefs. It’s an unprecedented time for Hawaiʻi residents as national policing is ramping up while many local police leaders remain undetermined.
In Hawaiʻi, police chiefs aren’t elected. Instead, each county has a Police Commission that handles the hiring. The job of the Commission is serious as it must pick someone to lead the department, manage officers and keep the public’s trust.
All four counties — Honolulu (Oʻahu), Maui, (including Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi) Hawaiʻi Island and Kauaʻi — follow this model. But each one has its own way of doing it.
So, KHON2.com did a bit of digging to find out how it all works.
Hawaiʻi Island’s process
The Hawaiʻi County Police Commission runs the entire process, and the police department does not help with the decision. The mayor appoints seven members, one from each council district; and the County Council confirms them.
A list of candidates is created from dozens of applicants that have answered written questions.
From there, the Commission narrows the list into a smaller pool applicants that the commission then reviews, and these finalists are interviewed during public meetings.
After the public hearings, the commission then votes in private. The process requires that the commission must provide a majority for any candidate; and after the vote, the winner is announced in public.
There is room for public testimony, and candidates remain anonymous until they make it to the final stage.
You can click here to learn more about Hawaiʻi Island’s Police Commission.
Kauaʻi County’s process
The Kauaʻi Police Commission also leads the hiring, and it runs a public survey to ask what qualities people want in a chief.
In 2025, new rules said the chief must have at least a bachelor’s degree and 15 years of service. These rules were approved by voters.
You can click here to learn more about Kauaʻi’s vacant post and here to learn more about their commission.
Honolulu’s process process
The Honolulu Police Commission has seven members. The mayor appoints each of them, and the City Council confirms them. Commission members are in charge of the hiring, not the mayor or police department.
The Commission may work with human resources or hire a search firm, but it writes the job description and sets requirements.
As of 2025, these include five years of law enforcement, three years in a leadership role, a bachelor’s degree and proof of Hawaiʻi residency. The Commission screens and tests candidates. The public is invited to observe the interview; and after that, it votes on the new chief.
You can click here to learn more about Honolulu’s Police Commission and here to learn more about the Interim Chief Deputy Chief Rade Vanic.
Maui County’s process
The Maui Police Commission also manages the hiring. Its seven members are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the Council.
Details about the current process are limited, but it likely follows a process similar to Honolulu’s. The Commission recruits candidates, reviews qualifications, gathers public input and votes.
You can click here to learn more about Maui County’s Police Commission.
What all counties share
There is lots of overlap in how Police Commissioners are chosen across the state. Here are the common approaches and requirements:
- Every county uses a Police Commission to choose the chief.
- The mayors pick the commissioners.
- The Council approves them.
- The Commission runs the search and the vote.
- Candidates usually stay anonymous until the finalist stage.
- Public opinion is sometimes gathered through surveys or testimony.
- The police department itself does not decide who becomes chief.
- In every county, the final decision belongs to the Commission.
So, as three of Hawaiʻi’s counties navigate their needs for a new Police Chief, you can stay up to date with how the process works and what is happening.