The Honolulu Police Commission has received 38 applications for police chief, roughly 25 to 30 percent of them from out-of-state candidates.

The commission said in a news release early Tuesday afternoon that it had received between 30 and 35 applications. Asked later by the Honolulu Star-­Advertiser to clarify, however, Commission Chairman Max Sword said that estimate referred to the estimated number of candidates who met minimum qualifications, because the Department of Human Resources is still checking some applications. But the commission received a total of 38 applications, he said.

The vacancy was created when former Police Chief Louis Kealoha retired, effective March 1, after federal officials informed him he was a target in a criminal case.

The next step for the applicants will be a written examination based on a test that’s to be formulated by a paid consultant with assistance from “various law enforcement and community stakeholders,” the release said. The group will consist of about five people selected by the seven commission members, Sword said.

From there, based on the written exam, applicants who qualify will proceed to an “assessment center” developed by the consultant, which would include asking each candidate how he or she would approach different scenarios, Sword said. The same group of community leaders will score the applicants on their performance in the assessment center after they themselves receive training from the consultant, he said.

The commissioners will then select a list of finalists from those who participated in the assessment based on a combination of their written test and assessment center scores.

The finalists will be interviewed by the commission and be subjected to background checks and psychological evaluations. The commission is anticipating making a final pick in about July.