Posted on: Saturday, August 28, 2004
Correa sworn in as police chief
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
In a light-hearted, low-key ceremony filled with laughter and lei, Boisse Correa was sworn in yesterday as the ninth chief of the Honolulu Police Department.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser As Moon administered the oath, the new chief flubbed a few lines, saying he was "nervous." Moon quipped that Correa shouldn't be worried because "he hasn't flunked yet."
Harris praised the selection of Correa, who served as deputy chief under retired Chief Lee Donohue. The Honolulu Police Commission chose Correa on Wednesday from a list of 19 candidates for the office.
After Harris and commissioner Cha Thompson pinned the four stars on Correa's shoulders, he was swarmed by friends with lei. Correa, 58, said it's been a hectic three days since he was named chief and said he has not completed a vision plan or staff.
He said he will continue to meet with his staff, the police union and "other stakeholders" and will announce his mission and priorities in one to two weeks. But he said one of his goals is to have an open door to the public.
"You can have all the technology, you can have all the money, but you have to go through the people," Correa said. "So the idea is to get everybody participating, buying into the system, committing to it, and then moving forward."
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Correa took his oath in Mayor Jeremy Harris' Honolulu Hale office, which was packed with Correa's family, friends, staff and other well-wishers. The short ceremony was filled with humor, including a remark from Hawai'i Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald Moon that he and fellow residents of Korean ancestry were pleased with the new chief because he was "named after our country."
Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris and Cha Thompson, member of the Police Commission, pin on the stars to the uniform of Boisse Correa, Honolulu's ninth police chief. The swearing-in ceremony took place yesterday in the mayor's office in Honolulu Hale.
