Next HPD chief likely to be promoted from within
| • | HPD chief can retire knowing goals fulfilled |
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Honolulu Police Commission plans to conduct an extensive search and screening process and choose a new police chief by early September to replace retiring chief Lee Donohue who will retire July 1.
An interim chief, to serve until a permanent replacement is named, will likely be either senior deputy chief Glen Kajiyama or deputy chief Paul Putzulu, commission chairman Ronald Taketa said yesterday.
Neither deputy was available for comment as to whether they will seek the permanent job.
The $110,000-a-year position will be open to applicants nationwide, but it appears likely the next chief will be promoted from within the Honolulu Police Department as in previous years.
The commission agreed yesterday to name the interim chief before Donohue steps down in July, and to hire a consultant to help choose a permanent replacement.
Finalists for the position will be named publicly before a final selection is made, Taketa said.
The process will be fair, and the goal is to expeditiously hire the most qualified person, he said.
"Not only does the public require that, and not only are they entitled to it, but really the applicants need to be sure that this is a fair process," he said. "If they feel someone has the inside track, we're not going to get the strongest pool of applicants. We really want a strong pool of applicants so that we really get the best possible individual."
He said the interim chief "could be anyone, but realistically it will come from the deputy ranks," he said. "You go to the next in command."
The permanent job will be open to applicants with at least five years of law enforcement experience, three of them at a command level. That generally means they must hold the rank of captain or higher, Taketa said.
The consultant will screen applicants for minimum qualifications and conduct written tests, and the commission will select from the top candidates. Taketa estimated the search would cost $50,000.
Donohue and his immediate predecessor, Chief Michael Nakamura, were hired after similar searches in 1998 and 1990. At least 8 of the 41 applicants in 1990 were from the Mainland; none of the 19 applicants in 1998 were from outside Hawai'i.
Taketa said some Mainland police chiefs earn twice as much in similar-sized cities, which may discourage some from applying here.
Honolulu's top police union official said the chief should be promoted from within.
It's important to have a chief who understands this unique island community and it's public-safety issues, said Detective Alex Garcia, O'ahu chairman of the State of Hawai'i Organization of Police Officers.
"We have a number of very capable commanders who could be an excellent chief," he said. "... Even though there are a lot of people with good resumes and good qualifications, if they don't have that compassion and that understanding of the internal makeup of the department and the community, it's going to be very difficult for anybody to do a good job."
The chief is scheduled to be chosen shortly before voters elect Honolulu's next mayor this fall. Taketa said neither the change in the city administration nor politics in general should have anything to do with the selection.
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
