HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiʻi Police Department Chief Ben Moszkowicz is set to leave his position at the end of August, following an emotional police commission hearing.
With his departure, Hawaiʻi Island will be left without a permanent chief until a new one is appointed. While that may sound intimidating, there are plans in place to ensure the HPD will not be without a leader.
However, this entire process would not happen without one key body: the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission.
What is the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission?
The police commission for Hawaiʻi County oversees HPD, composed of nine members, with one member appointed from each of the county’s council districts.
Members of the commission are appointed by the mayor, with the county council confirming the mayor’s appointees.
The commission has a variety of responsibilities, including reviewing the annual police budget, weighing in on public allegations against the police department, evaluating the performance of the police chief and more.
But amongst those responsibilities is one that will set the tone for this entire police chief saga: the power to appoint a new chief.
Earlier this week, the commission denied Moszkowicz’s attempt to withdraw his resignation, effectively ousting the chief. This split decision was made in a 4-4 vote by the commission, and opens the doors for a whole process of selecting a new permanent chief.
What’s Next?
Following Moszkowicz’s departure, the deputy police chief will serve as the acting police chief until the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission appoints a temporary police chief.
Reed Mahuna currently serves as the deputy police chief for HPD, meaning that Mahuna would fulfill any of Moszkowicz’s responsibilities in his absence as the acting police chief.
The acting police chief is not guaranteed to become the temporary police chief or permanent police chief — that decision is made by the police commission.
As it stands in the official Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission, the commission will name a temporary chief of police, who will take over for Mahuna’s acting chief responsibilities.
The temporary chief will serve until the commission appoints a permanent chief, which would bring this saga to its conclusion.
The Hawaiʻi County Police Commission is currently set to discuss the selection and appointments of both the temporary and permanent chiefs at their next meeting on July 18 in Kona, but this does not guarantee that either position will be filled on that date.
Members of the public are able to speak out at the commission meetings about agenda items, such as their discussions on the temporary and permanent chiefs. Statements can be given online or in-person. For more information on public statements and the police commission, visit their website.