Ben Moszkowicz to be sworn in as chief of police on Wednesday

Benjamin Moszkowicz will be sworn in as chief of Hawaiʻi County Police Department on Wednesday.

The private ceremony, which take place at 1:30 p.m., will be live-streamed to the public on HPD’s Facebook page. Those physically present at the event will include Mayor Mitch Roth and senior commanders. The ceremony is expected to take 20 minutes.

“I’m excited to welcome Chief Moszkowicz to Hawaiʻi County and continue our work together as we build upon the incredible foundation of community-minded policing laid by former Chief Ferreira and Deputy Chief Bugado,” Mayor Roth said. “Hawaiʻi Island is built around community, and we stand ready to do all we can to help our community thrive and succeed.”

The streamed event is a formality, as the Chief must be officially sworn in prior to his start date of Jan. 17, and the mayor is off island on that date.

A larger, public event will take place on Jan. 20 at 1:30 p.m. in Kona the West Hawai‘i Civic Center. It will follow the monthly Hawaii County Police Commission meeting, which starts at 9 a.m.

Community members can watch the ceremony, which will take place in the courtyard gazebo, and will also have an opportunity to meet the Chief during an informal meet and greet following the ceremony.

“I’m eager to get started,” said incoming Chief Moszkowicz. “I’m looking forward to getting to know the communities of Hawai‘i Island, as well as working with our community partners and members of the department to find ways to collaborate on shared challenges.”

The Chief added, “I want to convey to the community that I’m approachable. Recognizing that people might have a hard time pronouncing my last name, I want the community to know they can call me Chief Ben.”

Moszkowicz will name a deputy chief at a later time, and that nominee will then go before the Police Commission for approval.

The Hawai‘i County Police Commission named Moszkowicz as chief on Dec. 16, 2022. Chief Moszkowicz comes to Hawai‘i Island from Honolulu Police Department, where he most recently served as Major in the Traffic Division. During his 22-year tenure with Honolulu Police Department, he served in every division from patrol watch commander to overseeing the 60-member Police Mountain Bike Team, to managing the Information Technology Division and Human Resources Division.

In addition to being a certified Drug Recognition Expert and Instructor, Moszkowicz was honored with the first-ever Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hawaii Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to preventing impaired driving through education and enforcement.

A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Moszkowicz holds a Bachelor of Art’s Degree in Public Administration with a specialization in Justice Administration from the University of Hawai‘i – West Oahu and a Master of Science Degree in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership from the University of San Diego.

For more information on the swearing in ceremonies, contact the Office of the Chief at 808-961-2244.