Big Island's retired chief moves to airport post
By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
HILO, Hawai'i — Jimmy Correa, who retired earlier this month as the Big Island's police chief, will be Hawai'i County's security chief for the Kona and Hilo international airports, federal officials announced this week.
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Correa, 49, who served as police chief since early 1991, took early retirement because of salary concerns. At an annual salary of $69,000, he was paid less than some of his subordinates, including Lawrence Mahuna, who has stepped in as acting chief.
Jimmy Correa retired because of salary concerns.
The salary of the Big Island airport security chief has not been disclosed.
Correa is among 137 federal security directors hired under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which Congress adopted after the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and on the Pentagon.
The Hawai'i County Police Commission, which must choose a new chief, has rescheduled its monthly meeting from tomorrow to Aug. 30. It will be held at 10 a.m. in the Police Department's training room in Hilo.
A commission spokeswoman attributed the delay to conflicting schedules among the nine commission members rather than problems in the selection process.
