BREAKING: 6 Finalists’ Names in Maui Police Chief List

Maui Police Commission meeting 8/20/14, photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

A special committee tasked with reviewing applications for the Maui police chief vacancy has narrowed the list to six finalists and has released the names of those still in the running.

The list includes (in no particular order):

• Tivoli Faaumu (current captain and commander for Kīhei Patrol, Maui Police Department)
• Moana Heu (retired major with the Honolulu Police Department)
• Larry Hudson (retired assistant chief, Maui Police Department)
• Victor Ramos (current assistant chief, Maui Police Department)
• Clayton Tom (current acting police chief, Maui Police Department)
• Chuck Tsang (former lieutenant with the New York City Police Department)

Kelly Ruidas, a commission member who headed the four member selection committee announces the list of six final candidates during the commission meeting as Commission Chair Roger Dixon (foreground) looks on. Photo by Wendy Osher.

The applicants are seeking to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Chief Gary Yabuta who retired from the post on July 31, to take on employment at the federal level as director for the Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program in Honolulu.

Kelly Ruidas, a commission member who headed the four member selection committee (which also included Pancho Alcon of Molokaʻi, Howard Hanzawa, and Gregg Lundberg) said the group has been in constant communication with multiple meetings held since it was first formed in May.

The group received a total of 17 applications as of the Aug. 12 deadline which included: four mainland applicants who were eliminated because they did not meet qualifications; five current MPD officers; four retired MPD officers; two retired officers from the neighbor islands; and two non-officers that had a law enforcement background.

In narrowing the candidate list, Ruidas said the group formed a spreadsheet to assist with the scoring and evaluation process. The list had information on each candidate that included, but was not limited to: their education, work experience, certifications throughout their career, and letters of recommendation.

Ruidas called the search “intense and exhaustive,” and thanked all that applied, but said, “in reality, we can only select one chief.” He extended wishes of good luck to those that are moving on to the next phase of selection.

Only one individual (Sally Reisbeck) was signed up to testify at the Maui Police Commission meeting held on 8/20/14. Photo by Wendy Osher.

The commission plans to meet for two full days on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 3 and 4, 2014 at the Maui Beach Hotel (subject to final confirmation and posting of a public notice) for a special session in which public testimony will be received and finalists will be interviewed by the full commission.

The formal meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3, and will start with public testimony in which individuals wishing to testify will be limited to three minutes of commentary. Following public testimony, the meeting will go into executive session in which candidates will undergo interviews that are expected to last two hours each.

The commission anticipates that it may reach a decision as early as Thursday, Sept. 4, upon conclusion of the executive session, if all are in agreement.

In the interim, the commission will continue completion of extensive background checks on the final list of candidates.