2026-01-29 Police Commission Regular Minutes

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Regular Session Minutes January 29, 2026 Page 7 chief. DeLuz stated he has followed chief selections on other islands and observed mixed results when chiefs were hired from outside their communities. He offered a strong recommendation that the Big Island’s next Chief be Mahuna, citing his proven leadership skills, clear vision of priorities, and broad experience that fully meet these criteria. Patti Cook r emphasizing the need for leadership that will listen to the workforce, build trust and respect, and remain deeply engaged with the community. She appreciates SHOPO’s rank-and-file survey andanticipatesinput from HGEA as meaningful workforce voices. She described this as likely the hardest decision commissioners will make, as it will set the tone for the department, and while she respects the capacity and qualifications of all applicants,she stressed that the island must be protected with aloha by leaders with rooted presence and involvement, which she believes Interim Chief Mahuna has clearly demonstrated in both the department and the community. At the close of public testimony on thisagenda item, Chair Yamada asked if anyone else wished to speak. There were none. Recess was called at 10:11 a.m., and the meeting reconvened at 10:34 a.m. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Vice Chair Botelhomotioned to approve the regular and executive session minutes for December 19, 2025, seconded by Commissioner Lacerte. With no discussion, the motion carried unanimously. DISCUSSION REGARDING SELECTION OF POLICE CHIEF Chair Yamada announced that the interview questions had been finalized and distributed to commissioners, noting that a previously suspected tie in selecting one question was determined not to be a tie. To ensure fairness and allow more time for deliberation, he proposed interviewing all candidates that day, limiting each response to three minutes. One commissioner would ask all ten questions for a candidate, rotating among commissioners starting with the commissioner to his right. No follow-up questions would be allowed to maintain fairness. The interview order would be selected randomly, and commissioners were provided worksheets and a sample scoring key. Chair Yamada outlined that, after interviews, the Commission would later discuss selection and any offer. For the selection discussion, he suggested that each commissioner name their top three candidates based on desired leadership qualities, written submissions, interview performance, and public testimony, after which motions