The Hawaii County Police Commission met to finalize key parts of the hiring process for the next police chief, including the format for written questions, how to handle applicant anonymity and whether the meetings should be livestreamed for public transparency.
The Friday meeting in the County Building Council Chambers in Hilo also covered other details of the selection process.
So far, 17 people have
applied for the position, but commissioners said they wouldn’t be surprised if
another 40 applications come in before Friday’s deadline.
After the deadline, the county Department of Human Resources will take about two weeks to screen applicants and determine whether they meet minimum requirements. Those who qualify will receive a set of written questions and have 10 days to respond.
The search is necessitated by the commission’s acceptance of an emailed resignation in July by Chief Ben Moszkowicz, which he unsuccessfully attempted to withdraw.
Deputy Chief Reed
Mahuna, who was in
attendance at Friday’s meetings, is the interim chief as the search continues.
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Commissioners agreed to continue the anonymized scoring process used during the 2022 selection, in which applicants are assigned numbers and graded on their written responses without their names being disclosed.
Chair Rick Robinson said that during the last selection, the commission got “vile” anonymous letters sent to them about candidates, and they will go to the shredder.
Commissioners made
it clear that if retaliation were to occur against any applicant for applying, the board would investigate and act accordingly.
The public has called for more transparency in the process, and the commission debated whether its meetings should be livestreamed and whether people could testify remotely. While Robinson wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea, other commissioners said livestreaming would help boost public confidence.
Robinson said the last time people were allowed to provide public testimony virtually, the commission “had people sitting under a banana tree drinking beer trying to participate.”
Commissioner Eileen Lacerte voiced concern that opening testimony to online participants could reignite heated debates, saying, “And then you’d have 100 ICE conversations all over again.”
Commissioner Jacob Tavares responded, “I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, commissioner. I think the people feel very, very strongly about immigration. I recognize that has taken a lot of our time, but if that’s an important item for our community, we can’t be dismissive about it.”
Robinson said people could email the commission, send letters or testify at the three or four county-approved buildings. Commissioner John Bertsch said the commission would need to talk with the mayor’s office to determine what technology is available.
In the end, commissioners voted to livestream the hiring process for transparency, but not to allow people to testify over Zoom from home.
Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be notified via email and subsequently receive written questions, to which they will have 10 days to respond. Their written replies are due by 11:59 p.m. on the 10th day.
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