The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers elected a new president this month to lead the police officers union amid ongoing collective bargaining negotiations and intense public scrutiny of law enforcement.

Lt. Robert “Bobby” Cavaco, a 19-year Honolulu Police Department veteran assigned to the Traffic

Division, was elected president Dec. 9 and will replace Sgt. Malcolm Lutu, who is retiring from HPD at the end of the month after 32 years of service.

David “Kawika” Hallums ran unopposed and will return as SHOPO vice president.

“Interim Chief (Rade) Vanic extends his congratulations to the new board members and looks forward to meeting with them,” said Michelle Yu, HPD spokeswoman, in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Lutu told the newspaper that his four years as SHOPO president was a “struggle” at times, with the public’s perception of policing changing rapidly following high-profile incidents of police misconduct, the COVID-19 crisis and a poor pandemic economy.

Lutu has said the increasing number of assaults on law enforcement officers is a serious concern for an already dangerous profession. And with nearly every person carrying a smartphone, police misconduct by bad actors is amplified through videos posted on websites and social media, hurting recruitment and retention.

The May 25, 2020, murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer sparked nationwide reforms of use-of-force tactics and raised questions about how law enforcement serves and protects American cities.

“Times (for policing) have changed since the George Floyd incident. COVID came along and the economy tanked. Hopefully, the situation gets better,” Lutu said. “It’s going to take a special kind of person to do this job. The job has changed.

“This is the last job I thought I was going to do, and it was the best decision to do this job. You have friends who would take a bullet for you and sacrifice for you, and the other way around — that’s what we are here for.”

Cavaco has served in a variety of SHOPO positions, including shop steward, Honolulu Chapter chairman and union vice president.

Lutu lauded his knowledge of the collective bargaining process and nuances of union representation. He said he has “all the confidence” Cavaco will continue to fight for the rights of SHOPO’s more than 2,000 members statewide.

Nicholas Schlapak ran uncontested and will return as SHOPO’s Honolulu chapter chairman.

“Those of us who are reelected to SHOPO and the new board members are very eager to address the challenging issues faced by police officers,” Schlapak told the Star-Advertiser. “As we continue to engage with our bargaining unit, we want to be responsive to public concerns, and are focused on improving the wages and working conditions of our membership. We also support the expansion of recruitment, training and retention of the best-quality law enforcement officials. Our public deserves to have the finest possible officers serving them.”