Unprecedented circumstances leave Big Island police and fire departments searching for new chiefs

Mayor Kimo Alameda can’t remember another time when Hawaiʻi County was without permanent chiefs for its fire and police departments.

But with the resignation of Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz in August, following a failed last-minute effort to keep his job, and the tragic death a week ago of Fire Department Chief Kazuo Todd at age 45, the county needs to fill two of its most important positions.

While the Fire Commission plans to begin discussions about finding a new chief at its next meeting in January, the Police Commission has been at the process for several months and determined at its last meeting of the year on Friday that 11 candidates would be asked to interview in person.

While the entire process to this point has been anonymous and handled by the county’s Department of Human Resources, the identities of the top 11 will be revealed to the Police Commission and to the public next week. 

Fire Commission Chair Gerald Kosaki said a date for the January meeting has not been set yet, but the commission “will try to expedite the process” of selecting a new chief.

Now, the Hawaiʻi Island Police Department is being run by Interim Police Chief Reed Mahuna, who took up the helm in July. The Fire Department is being led by Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Volpe, who was second in command to Todd. They both stepped in as interim chiefs per Hawai‘i County statutes.

Mahuna has applied to be the permanent chief. On Sunday, just hours after Todd’s death, Volpe said he wasn’t sure if he planned to pursue the chief’s position: “It’s hard being in the office without him.”

Alameda said the acting chiefs are strong and he has developed a level of trust with both of them, but he will wait to see how the process plays out. It is the role of the police and fire commissions to select permanent chiefs.

For the police chief vacancy, Human Resources reviewed the large number of applications and came up with 27 that met minimum qualifications. The 27 candidates were sent extensive interrogatory questions, created by the Police Commission, and 22 of those 27 returned their answers. Each commissioner scored each questionnaire, with Human Resources averaging all the scores and listing the anonymous applicants from 1 to 22. 

“When looking at the cumulative scores, there is a significant drop off after number 11, so my suggestion is that we interview the top 11 candidates,” Commissioner Jacob Tavares said.

After some discussion, it was agreed that all 11 will be asked to come to Hawaiʻi Island, regardless of their location, to interview in person. Those interviews will take place during a public Police Commission meeting on Jan. 29 and 30 at the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center in Kailua-Kona.

“I think if they decide to pay for travel and fly for the interview, it shows a level of commitment to the job and would be a better indicator of who truly wants the position,” Commissioner Lloyd K. Enriquez said. 

The candidates will have until Jan. 20 to accept the interview invitation. 

The police commissioners will look through the candidate’s applications and their answers to the interrogatory questions before the interviews next month. The commissioners also are preparing 10 questions in different categories regarding topical issues that will be asked to each candidate. 

The chief positions are especially important because the fire and police departments run the 24-hour emergency operations for the county.

“Even before (an emergency) response, we work with them on planning, mitigation and prevention detection,” said Talmadge Magno, the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Administrator. “We’re working with them to limit the amount of response we have to do as far as teaming up to do education in disaster preparedness.”

Alameda said he’s been impressed with how Volpe has stepped up following Todd’s tragic passing, saying: “He’s been responding like a champ.”

Alameda said he also has been impressed with how Mahuna, a 29-year police veteran, has interacted with the community during the four months he has served in the interim role.

Magno said he doesn’t think there would be any issues with Mahuna and Volpe stepping in as leaders of their departments during emergencies.

But the ultimate goal, Magno said, is hiring chiefs who can work together with other county departments.

In their roles as deputy chiefs, Alameda said he’s gotten to know and trust both Mahuna and Volpe during their attendance at his cabinet meetings. They have responded to public safety situations with several crises hitting the county in a matter of weeks, including a collapsed bridge and two fires in Hilo that destroyed businesses, homes and left one person dead.

Kosaki said having to find a replacement for Todd because of death was the farthest thing from his mind.

“The whole County of Hawai‘i is really reeling from this,” he said.

But once the chief position is posted, Kosaki said the commission will look at every candidate objectively and make sure whoever the commission selects will do the best for “our county and our guys on the line and the public.”

Kosaki added that the public will have the “opportunity to speak their peace or whatever input they want to give.”

Alameda said he hopes both commissions are “looking for what I’m looking for, someone who engages with the public, has empathy and connects with employees.”

Alameda also hopes he will be able to work in concert with the new chiefs to reach some short-term goals so the community can see they are making a difference.

“They have to be public safety champions,” Alameda said.

On the fire side of operations, the mayor would like to address working with the state on building inspections, especially since the investigation into the deadly fire at the former poi factory in November revealed unpermitted structures on the property.

On the police side, Alameda would like the chief to continue focusing on recruitment and retention because the department has been understaffed for years.

For more information on the process or the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission, email Charisse.Correa@hawaiicounty.gov