Hawaiʻi County Police Commission selects Reed Mahuna as chief

The Hawaiʻi County Police Commission on Friday selected 49-year-old Reed Mahuna, who has been serving as interim police chief, as its next chief.

The vote was for a conditional offer of employment. Mahuna will be officially appointed following a favorable background check and an investigative background check.

Mahuna was selected from an original pool of 64 candidates, of which only 27 met the qualifying requirements.

The commission made its decision after interviewing eight finalists on Thursday during a public meeting. The finalists included one other internal candidate, assistant chief Kenneth Quiocho, and six applicants who have not worked in law enforcement in Hawaiʻi.

The vote was seven ayes, with Police Commission Chair Greg Yamada abstaining during a public commission meeting in Kona.

Yamada said during the meeting that Mahuna was his third choice, behind Anthony Kumamaru, a 57-year-old retired Lieutenant from the Las Vegas Police Department, and Quiocho, who has served on the Hawaiʻi Island police force for 33 years.

“There is a reason you are where you are,” Yamada told Mahuna. “The testimony both written and verbal was overwhelming in your favor. … The human tendency is leaning toward comfort. I think discomfort leads to growth.”

With all other commissioners expressing their support for Mahuna, Yamada told reporters the decision for chief was already made before the official vote.

Yamada, who is a retired police officer from the Hawai‘i Island Police Department, said he thinks Mahuna has the potential to do well and his intentions are good. He added there is a lot of work to be done.

“Personally, I think they should be more focused on the patrolmen,” Yamada said. “That was always one of my complaints as a patrol officer. It’s like the people upstairs, they don’t really regard us as much as they should.”

Yamada plans to ask to have a conversation with Mahuna and talk man-to-man, or one officer to another.

“I think that perspective can be useful to a chief, because I’m not connected daily to all the things that happen,” he added.

He has held the positions of deputy police chief, major in technical services, major in area I operations, and captain in the area I and area II Criminal Investigation Division. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice from Lindenwood University.  

Mahuna received overwhelming public support at Thursdayʻs meeting, including from former Hawaiʻi Gov. Linda Lingle and representatives from the State of Hawai‘i Organization of Policing Officers.

At Fridayʻs meeting, Commissioner Lloyd Enriquez said he read every recommendation that came in and listened to public testimony. After recommending Mahuna, he said he can “sleep well tonight.”

Since the resignation of police chief Ben Moszkowicz, which took effect Aug. 31, Mahuna has served as interim chief.

Mahuna, a 28-year veteran of the force, will be following in the footsteps of his father Lawrence Mahuna, who was police chief from 2002 to 2008.

During his interview, Mahuna, who was born and raised on the Big Island, said: “The kuleana of public safety rests with the police chief. He makes those decisions independently, but he also makes those decisions considering the needs of the commission, the needs of the community, and the needs of the administration.”

Mahuna told the commission: “I came into this job five or six months ago and you gave me the honor of being interim police chief. I have provided steady leadership. I’m asking you now to lead with my vision and unlock the potential of this department.”

After the vote, Mahuna addressed the commission, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity.

“I have a lot of respect for all the candidates that brought themselves forward to be part of this process,” Mahuna said. “It was a very humbling experience for me to sit here through the last few days and I’ll never take for granted the trust that you put in me.”

Mahuna went on to say he would not let the commission or community down.

“I’ll show you how I’m going to lead this department now with my vision, and I think we’re going to do really great things for the community,” Mahuna said. “So I thank all of you for your consideration and your time in this and I appreciate your confidence.”

After the vote, Mahuna told reporters the commission did a “fabulous” job through the application process.

“It was rigorous, but I think I’m a better person for it,” he said.

Mahuna said he was overwhelmed, and even emotional, by the support he received from the community and from within the department.

“I’m very, very thankful for the trust they put in me. I’m ready to do the work to move this department forward.

“I was sitting there listening to these people who came all the way from Hilo to testify and say things about me,” Mahuna said. “It’s unbelievable. … I have a debt of gratitude to these people that I may never be able to repay them back.”

Several high-ranking officers within the department spoke in support of Mahuna on both days, including Vice Lt. Erich Jackson, Capt. Edwin Buyten, Maj. Sherry Bird and Maj. Thomas Shopay.

Both Jackson and Buyten spoke about how Mahuna was instrumental in creating and supporting the unification of area I (East Hawai‘i) and Area II (West Hawai‘i) vice sections and creating one Vice Division to combat drugs coming to the Big Island.

“Under his leadership, the Vice Division has broken barriers and is leading the state with narcotic seizures,” Jackson said.

Buyten, who was promoted to captain for the newly created division, said out of the 22 years on Hawai‘i Police Department, this past year has been the best and most impactful thing he’s done in his career.

“There are managers and there are leaders,” Buyten said. “I’ve worked for a lot of managers, I’ve worked for very few leaders, and I trust this man (Mahuna) and his leadership.”

Mahuna said his first order of business will be to move forward with some of the programs he’s started, adding he has plans to establish a regular community engagement goal for all of his command staff.

“I want my command staff out there, out in the community, listening to people, sitting down, hearing what they have to say,” Mahuna said. “I’m going to have that channeled back into the chief’s office so that I can use that information to make informed decisions that affect those very same people.”

Mahuna planned to give his dad a call this afternoon to give him the news. Mahuna remembered sitting down with his dad when he became chief in December 2002.

He said: “I never imagined that years later, the same thing would be happening for me.”

Editorʻs Note: This story has been updated with comments and information from Friday’s Hawaiʻi County Police Commission meeting.