Honolulu is searching for a new police chief after Chief Joe Logan left in July. No search firm has been hired yet, so a new chief is not expected until next spring at the earliest. The City Council’s Public Safety Committee discussed a resolution to give police officers more input in the selection process. The department has over 460 officer vacancies as of June. Councilmember Andria Tupola said, "We need a leader, and we need somebody that’s going to advocate for them," according to Hawaii News Now.
The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers Honolulu Chapter raised concerns that police officers have been largely excluded from the hiring process. "Up until now, they’ve had almost zero say in who their leader will be," said SHOPO Honolulu Chapter chair Jonathan Fry, as reported by Hawaii News Now.
The commission is working to select a new police chief and says input from officers may be important. Appointing a chief through a search firm could take seven months, and the commission plans to hire a firm by November, while officers want to speed up the process, as mentioned by KHON2. The recent State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers survey may help the firm understand officers' preferences. With Kauai and Hawaii Island also searching for new chiefs, department morale is low, and SHOPO treasurer Nick Schlapak said officers may be disappointed with the system. Mayor Rick Blangiardi and community input will be part of the decision.
