Members of the Honolulu Police Commission are giving Police Chief Louis Kealoha a "meets expectations plus" performance grade after his second year as the city’s top cop.

The average grade each of the seven commissioners gave Kealoha was 3.8 out of a possible 5. Last year, after Kealoha’s first 12 months as chief, the commission gave him an average score of 3 out of 5, what they characterized as "meeting expectations."

Commission Chairman Marc Tilker said he and his colleagues are "exceptionally pleased with Chief Kealoha’s performance this year."

Kealoha was a captain when he became chief, meaning commissioners passed over deputy chiefs, assistant chiefs and majors when they selected him to succeed former Chief Boisse Correa.

With that steeper learning curve, Tilker said, Kealoha improved upon his performance from a year ago and will continue to improve as he enters the third year of his five-year contract.

"He’s an exceptional guy," Tilker said.

November’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference posed a strong challenge for the department and the agency performed well under pressure, Tilker said. Top deputies also left the department just before APEC but Kealoha was able to surround himself with new top aides who handled the event capably, he said.

Commission Vice Chairman Craig Watase noted that the city has done better in several key crime categories in the last year.

"Property thefts are down, violent crimes are down," he said.

The department also finished fiscal year 2011, which ended June 30, several million dollars under budget.

Kealoha said he appreciates the evaluation, as well as his relationship with the commission.

"We continue to work together and I look forward to serving the community for another year."

The commission examined Kealoha’s performance in five key performance areas: financial (25 percent), leadership (20 percent), managerial (20 percent), police commission relations (20 percent), and community relations (15 percent).

Correa, during his final year evaluation in 2009, received an "exemplary" ranking from the commission, using a similar scoring system. Commission members said they chose to replace Correa after he declined to commit to a five-year extension.