LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Darryl Perry, a 30-year police veteran who has been offered the job of Kaua'i police chief, hopes to heal a department that has been severely embattled and divided for most of the past decade.

He plans to meet individually with every one of the department's 125 sworn officers and all of the departmental civilian staff and to engage them in the process.

"The concern I have right now is rebuilding community trust in the department and working on internal morale and team-building," he said.

A longer-term goal is to get the Kaua'i Police Department accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, something each of the state's other police departments has received, but Kaua'i never has. The commission sets national standards for law enforcement agencies, and among the benefits of accreditation are lower liability insurance costs.

County public information officer Mary Daubert said Perry's appointment is conditional on completing personnel paperwork, a physical exam and perhaps other things. If all goes well, Perry said he expects to be able to take the job Oct. 1.

The Kaua'i Police Department has historically been one with significant internal factions. Problems boiled over in 2001 when the politically appointed Kaua'i Police Commission announced it was suspending Chief George Freitas pending an investigation of a series of allegations. The only charges that stuck were that he had allowed a civilian passenger (now his wife) to ride in a county vehicle while not on county business and to have yelled at a subordinate.

Freitas accepted a $200,000 settlement to retire in late 2003.

When the Police Commission began a search for a new chief, Perry was ranked highest among the applicants, but the commission bypassed him to select a lieutenant from the Hanalei substation, K.C. Lum.

Lum came under immediate criticism for lacking supervisory experience and failing to take control of the department. After an extended period in which his administration was under near-constant critical scrutiny by members of the Kaua'i County Council, the county concluded that the Police Commission had erred in the appointment process, and Lum would have to be removed. He retired instead.

His deputy, Ron Venneman, was not allowed to ascend to the chief's position. He had been cited by the county Board of Ethics for circulating a petition for Lum during work hours, and the Police Commission gave the acting chief's job to the next-in-rank, patrol division commander Assistant Chief Clay Arinaga.

Arinaga, who was not a candidate for the chief's job, yesterday said he will return to the assistant chief's slot. He said he welcomes Perry's selection.

"He used to be a Kaua'i officer when I first joined the department. We used to work the beat together, although we were in different platoons," Arinaga said. "I wish him well. The department does need a good leader, a strong leader, that can rally the troops."

The new chief will also start out with the support of the police union. Bryson Ponce, a patrol officer and head of the State of Hawai'i Organization of Police Officers for the Kaua'i department, said he is pleased with the choice.

"I don't personally know Darryl Perry, but my colleagues in the HPD say a lot of positive things about him. I believe he's the man who can take the KPD in a positive direction," Ponce said.

The department has 147 positions for sworn officers, with 22 of those positions vacant. Perry said that's about a normal vacancy level for a police department.

"At HPD, we always had to make do with 80 to 85 percent. I want to fill at least half of those positions as soon as possible, so we can better serve the community," he said.

Perry, who is originally from Kaua'i, described his management style as collaborative.

"I like to work with people and get input. I'm not the smartest guy in the world, and the more heads you involve, the better it's gonna be," he said.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.