A month ago I wrote that it bordered on dereliction how the Honolulu Police Commission outsourced to a $145,000 mainland consultant most of the selection of a chief to replace Susan Ballard — and took a year in the process as the department swirled in disorder.

Now I’m ready to drop the word “bordered” and call it outright derelict in the tumult surrounding its appointment of Maj. Gen. Arthur “Joe” Logan just before news broke that his 36-year-old son was arrested for attacking a man with a metal hook — the latest of more than 40 arrests and citations, including a felony theft case awaiting trial.

I’m not among those demanding Logan step aside because of his son. He can’t fairly be held responsible for the actions of an adult child, though he should have mentioned it during the application process to save himself inevitable grief.

It’s members of this inept commission who should rethink the value of their services after their lazy vetting failed to bring this basic information to their attention and the public’s.

Drug addiction and mental illness have brought anguish to the best of local families, including public officials.

The late Mayor Frank Fasi had a son often in the news for the same kinds of legal trouble as Zane Logan. Fasi once called me to talk about it, and it was the only time I ever sensed anything resembling helplessness in the voice of “Fearless Frank.”

Nobody suggested it disqualified him from being mayor.

I only hope those scorching Logan for being unable to “control” a drug-addicted adult child never have to find out in their own families how near-impossible this is.

The matter would disqualify Logan from the job only if he breaks his promise to maintain hands off and be sure there’s no special treatment by HPD in cases involving his son.

Of greater concern is the persistent bumbling of the Police Commission in vetting the candidates for chief.

Commissioners have one major function: hiring and firing the chief. They took a year to do it, mainly so they could lay most of it off on a consultant and not have to break a sweat themselves.

Yet in all that time and after spending all that money, they failed to uncover information that could have been found in the most basic background check.

The information almost certainly would have come out if they’d left the public comment period open longer instead of rushing to vote soon after their consultant unveiled the finalists.

Asking candidates whether they have anything to add at the end of interviews doesn’t constitute vetting.

The shame is if they’d done a decent background check, they could have questioned Logan about it publicly to clear the air before making an appointment instead of leaving it to roil the air afterward.

Now we’re left to argue whether to live with a distraction that, fingers crossed, will blow over or prolong the never-ending chaos that holds down HPD by reopening the hiring process.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.