Leadership in limbo among Hawaiʻi police departments
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Three of Hawaiʻi's four county police departments may soon lack permanent chiefs, which is raising concerns about leadership stability.
HPD Chief Joe Logan announces retirement
Honolulu's mayor has someone in mind for HPD but the process has yet to play out.
Honolulu, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi County all face vacancies for permanent police chiefs.
Honolulu's Joe Logan announced on Monday that he will retire at the end of June,Kauai's Todd Raybuck will step aside on June 12 and the Big Island will also need a new permanent leader if Hawaiʻi's Ben Moszkowicz becomes Honolulu's interim chief.
'All of the commissions, when they're looking for a chief, that they not only take input from the community, but they take input from the rank and file officers on the beat, that are answering, the 911 calls for service,' said SHOPO president Robert Cavaco.
Mayor Blangiardi recommended Moszkowicz for Honolulu's interim role and hopes the commission moves faster than last time.
Honolulu councilmember develops plan to address HPD officer shortage
'After Chief Ballard retired, you know, it took police commission in Honolulu over a year to select Chief Logan,' Cavaco said.
A Honolulu Police Commission member said the quick suggestion from Blangiardi was surprising and added that filling interim and permanent replacement positions will not be his call.
'The police commission is in charge of hiring and firing the chief. That's pretty much the main thing that we are chartered to do,' said Ann Botticelli. 'I appreciate the mayor's recommendation. He's made it. But does that give Chief Moszkowitz, a leg up over other candidates, per se? I don't think so.'
Botticelli added that Moszkowicz still needs to apply for the job like any other candidate and the City needs to select a contractor to help narrow down applicants.
'And so I think at this point, what the mayor can do to help us expedite that, is to make sure that the city HR department moves our request for support from an outside agency along pretty quickly,' she said.
Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news
SHOPO's president said he is hopeful that the search for a permanent replacement for Chief Logan will not take longer than five months and said he will be in touch with the three county police commissions as the search for each department continues.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Maxwell Anderson trial: Guilty verdict reached by Milwaukee jury
The Brief A jury has convicted Maxwell Anderson of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson. A whirlwind of court activity unfolded on Thursday afternoon. WARNING: During testimony, some content may not be suitable for all viewers. MILWAUKEE - A jury found Maxwell Anderson guilty of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson on Friday after a days-long trial. Anderson is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, Aug. 15. What they're saying A whirlwind of court activity unfolded on Thursday afternoon. Over the course of roughly an hour, the state rested its case, the judge denied a defense motion to dismiss a charge on the basis of multiplicity, the defense rested its case, jury instructions were read and closing arguments began. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Lead Prosecutor Ian Vance-Curzan delivered his closing argument first on Thursday. "What Maxwell Anderson did to Sade Robinson was an intentional homicide. There is no question behind the intent and there's no question about the person responsible for doing it," Vance-Curzan said during his closing argument. "The killer is him, the last person to be with her, last one texting her, the last one whose residence she was at, the last one who had her car, the last one who had her phone, the last one who was with her. The one who burned her car. "He did everything he could to try to get away with it. He tried to cover up, he tried to fool the police, he's trying to fool all of you, but he doesn't get to do that." Defense Attorney Anthony Cotton delivered his closing argument second. "You heard that he went to work at Dugout 54 the next morning. And his phone died, not turned off, intentionally. It died, during the hours that one would be asleep. And he went to Dugout 54, and he worked at Dugout 54, which was his job, the next day. No issue," said Cotton. "You didn't hear from one person who said suddenly his behavior is different or that he started acting strange, he continued to work, stayed in the area, didn't cut his hair, didn't change his appearance, didn't have a ton of cash in his car with a passport to Mexico. None of that." A rebuttal from the state came after Cotton's closing argument. The backstory Anderson is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse and arson of property other than a building. He is accused of killing Robinson after a date, dismembering her and dumping her body parts across Milwaukee County. One of her arms was later found on an Illinois beach. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News Prosecutors said Anderson and Robinson showed up at a Menomonee Valley bar on April 1, 2024 – the night she was last seen or heard from. The next day, Robinson's burned-out car was found near 30th and Lisbon in Milwaukee. Surveillance photos show a man investigators believe is Anderson walking away from the area, and who was later seen on a bus heading back towards his home on the city's south side. Anderson had planned to kill Robinson weeks before her death, according to a statement from a "confidential informant" noted in court filings FOX6 News obtained. A search warrant also revealed prosecutors believe Anderson tried to cover up Robinson's death with a text message. Dig deeper FOX6 News is streaming the entire Anderson trial each day on FOX LOCAL. The app is free to download on your phone, tablet or smart TV. Day 8: Closing arguments made, jury deliberations begin Day 7: Sade Robinson killed; mapping path of Robinson's car Day 6: Jurors get look inside Anderson's home; see clothing Day 5: Testimony provided our first look at Anderson's arrest Open Record: Maxwell Anderson trial Day 4: Video from Milwaukee, discovery of Sade Robinson's remains Day 3: Testimony resumes; law enforcement, friends of Sade Robinson take stand Day 2: Opening statements, testimony begins Day 1: Jury selected in single day Sade Robinson homicide: Timeline of events leading to criminal charges Sade Robinson homicide: Parents navigate grief ahead of trial Sade Robinson homicide: The psychology behind the murder Sade Robinson homicide: Lasting legacy, from tragedy to advocacy Open Record: A Date With Death The Source FOX6 News was in court for the Anderson trial. Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office, Wisconsin Circuit Court, and prior FOX6 coverage of the case.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cuomo vows ‘top to bottom review' of key NYC housing agency, stirring mixed responses
Andrew Cuomo is pledging he would as mayor 'cut out the bureaucracy' from New York City's Department of Housing Presevation and Development, arguing it's riddled with 'red tape' — a proposal welcomed by real estate industry players but that is raising alarm bells among tenant advocates. The issue emerged in Wednesday night's first Democratic mayoral primary debate, when Cuomo said he would 'blow up' the department in order to address the city's housing crisis. The agency — which is tasked with helping finance affordable housing construction, enforce tenant protections and administer certain rental assistance programs — has become an 'obstacle' to the mission of building more apartments across the city, Cuomo added. Asked Thursday to elaborate on what Cuomo meanty, his spokesman Rich Azzopardi said the ex-governor 'believes HPD is too slow and too inefficient in fulfilling its core functions.' 'If elected mayor, among his first duties would be to order a top to bottom review of the agency and then implement a plan to cut out the bureaucracy, cut the red tape and make it functional in a reasonable manner,' Azzopardi told the Daily News. Azzopardi said the ex-governor's critical view of HPD applies to all its sectors — affordable housing financing, tenant protection enforcement and rental assistance administration. Cuomo's housing plan released last month didn't include the proposal to overhaul HPD, which has an annual budget of more than $1.5 billion. The plan includes the production of 500,000 new housing units in the city over 10 years, but did not spell out how many of those apartments would be affordable. The plan also said Cuomo would as mayor oppose most up-zoning efforts in outer-borough neighborhoods, a stance at odds with HPD's focus under Mayor Adams to facilitate more affordable housing construction in pockets of the city that have historically produced little of it. Housing has emerged as a key issue in this year's mayoral race as the city reels from skyrocketing rents and a dearth of vacant apartments, and there's widespread agreement more units must be built. However, there are disagreements over what sort of affordability requirements should be placed on developers, with moderate politicians like Cuomo championing looser restrictions while more left-leaning stakeholders want most new apartments reserved for low-income New Yorkers. Cuomo, who's polling as the favorite to win the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary, floated the push for restructuring HPD as his mayoral run has taken in millions of dollars in donations from real estate industry executives and landlord lobby groups, who often air concerns about the need to reform the agency. As first reported by Politico Thursday, Housing for All, a super PAC funded by one of the city's largest landlord lobbies, is plunking down $2.5 million on airing ads boosting Cuomo's run. The lobby group, the New York Apartment Association, which mostly represents landlords of rent-stabilized buildings, vehemently opposes efforts to freeze rent for the city's stabilized tenants, a proposal several of Cuomo's mayoral race opponents, including runner-up candidate Zohran Mamdani, have embraced. Kenny Burgos, the New York Apartment Association's CEO, lauded Cuomo for promising to 'blow up' the HPD, saying the agency is 'choking the market' from producing more housing. 'It is bringing on layers upon layers of violations to owners, where there are scenarios where owners can't even clear the violations because of HPD mismanagement,' Burgos said. 'So, you know, any candidate talking about completely reforming the agency that has really huge overarching powers on regulated housing, I'd say is a good approach.' But Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler, a progressive Democrat who used to be a senior adviser to ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio, including on housing and tenant issues, said Cuomo's proposal is 'dangerous' and voiced concern his comments signal he's open to the real estate industry's push to roll back tenant protections and rent regulations. 'Cuomo is going to do the bidding of wealthy real estate interests who had paid for his campaign, not meet the needs of the people of New York City,' Restler said. Mamdani, who's consistently polling in second place in the mayor's race, told The News: 'HPD doesn't need to be 'blown up' — it needs to be fully staffed so it can protect tenants and get affordable housing built.' A city government official involved in the Adams administration's affordable housing efforts argued HPD has undergone various reforms in recent years to streamline the agency's operations. In the last fiscal year, HPD financed 14,706 newly-constructed affordable homes. 'HPD is already blowing up the status quo, making it easier to build new apartments and easier to get into affordable housing,' said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Cea Weaver, director of the left-leaning Housing Justice for All group, acknowledged there are many roadblocks to affordable housing production, but also argued HPD isn't one of them. 'A top to bottom review, that sounds like a hell of a lot bureaucracy,' she said. 'What needs to happen is to actually just let HPD operate.'
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
Apple and Google Face Accusations of Enabling Thieves Through Device Policies
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Apple and Google have been accused by UK lawmakers and police officials of not doing enough to stem a lucrative international black market in stolen smartphones. During a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, June 3, Members of Parliament and the Metropolitan Police called on the tech giants to block stolen devices from accessing cloud services, a move they argue would drastically reduce resale value and help deter theft. Police said they have recorded 80,000 stolen phones in London in 2024—a 25% rise from 2023. Most of the thefts involve iPhones, and officials estimate the trade generates up to £50 million ($67,837,542) annually. Many devices are trafficked abroad to markets in Algeria, China and Hong Kong. Stock image of a Google smartphone and the Apple logo. Stock image of a Google smartphone and the Apple logo. Photo by Vadym Plysiuk / Getty Images Why It Matters Police officials argue that stolen smartphones are fueling violence and organized crime in the UK. The police want companies to block stolen phones based on their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers and prevent them from accessing Apple and Google cloud services. While UK mobile networks already use IMEI blacklists, these blocks do not apply globally, which leaves a loophole for international criminal networks. What to Know Despite calls dating back to 2023, Apple and Google have not implemented the requested global blocks. Both companies raised concerns during the hearing that those measures could be exploited for fraud. "We worry, and we have had these discussions with the Met, that there is a vector for fraud," Gary Davis, global senior director for privacy and law enforcement at Apple, said during the session, as reported by The Register. Davis added, "Every month, over 1,000 people try to imitate legitimate users to seek data from us and delete accounts." Simon Wingrove, Google's software engineering manager, told MPs that "Android devices can be blocked from accessing the cloud services after they are stolen," but cautioned that changes based on IMEI data would require industry-wide coordination. What People Are Saying Former policing minister Kit Malthouse said it seemed Apple was "dragging your feet and sitting behind this is a very strong commercial incentive". He added, "The fact that £50m of phones are stolen in London every year—if that stopped, that would be £50m in sales that would be depressed." In a statement to Newsweek, Google said, "Google does not profit from phone theft. For years, Android has invested in advanced theft protection features, including the industry's first Theft Detection Lock and Offline Device Lock, to help prevent theft and block stolen devices. "We've built and evolved these features by listening to victims and partnering closely with law enforcement and industry." Newsweek reached out to Apple requesting further comment on June 4. What's Next Security firms have suggested that a central cloud-level block tied to the IMEI system could be feasible, provided devices are registered from their first activation. Dion Price, CEO of the locking tech firm Trustonic, told MPs that his company offers that service for clients, according to The Register. "If we get the signal from the legitimate owner of that device, then we can lock or unlock it within 30 seconds anywhere in the world," he said. Meanwhile, police in London have begun deploying high-speed e-bikes to pursue snatchers and reported a 15% drop in thefts during April and May. However, officials warned this reduction is likely due to increased enforcement and public awareness, and is not a permanent fix.
