It’s been nearly nine months, and it could well take another nine before Honolulu gets its new police chief — a concerning void now being underscored by the police’s own rank and file.
On Thursday, the police union rang the “alarm” over “dangerous understaffing” across Oahu’s eight patrol districts. Lt. Robert Cavaco, the new head of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO), had strong words about the risk to public safety due to unfilled patrol-officer shifts.
Oahu residents and businesses “are being deceived by the leadership of the Honolulu Police Department into thinking they are receiving police protection,” Cavaco said, attributing rising crime to the shortage.
HPD acting Chief Rade Vanic quickly pushed back, saying officers routinely work together to cover patrol needs to keep the public safe, calling SHOPO’s stance “scare tactics.”
Still, SHOPO’s public airing of grievances must certainly remain on the “to-do” list for the next HPD chief. So, too, should attention to a litany of recent controversies, including:
>> Concerns over excessive use of force, which flared last April with two high-profile fatal shootings: of Iremamber Sykap, 16, near Waikiki, and of Lindani Myeni, 29, in Nuuanu.
>> Officers’ adherence to HPD policies, and improved training on police best practices, such as for de-escalation.
>> Regaining public trust after public-corruption scandals involving ex-Chief Louis Kealoha and top officers plus a new federal case involving the police commission’s former chairman.
>> Recruitment and retention issues, which go to the heart of the staffing shortages raised by SHOPO.
Since Chief Susan Ballard’s sudden retirement on June 1, HPD has operated under interim Chief Vanic — reportedly 1 of the 19 applicants for the permanent job. Of the 12 candidates from Hawaii, six are current HPD officers, five are retired HPD officers and one works in Hawaii law enforcement, according to reporting by the Star-Advertiser’s Peter Boylan.
The Honolulu Police Commission is seeking citizens’ input on the qualities they want in the next chief — via an online survey open through Sunday; seehonolulu.gov/hpc or hpdnextchiefsurvey2022.com. The public should take this opportunity to have a say in this important process. A commission-hired consultant will then forward a shortlist of finalists to advance the selection process, with the new chief to be named before year’s end. That can’t come soon enough.
