A day after being reappointed to a second five-year term, Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha said the department will continue the fight against legalizing marijuana and gambling.

On Wednesday the seven-member Honolulu Police Commission voted unanimously to renew Kealoha’s contract, 10 months before the end of his current term. The decision allows Honolulu’s top cop to keep his post until November 2019. Kealoha, 53, said he plans to stay.

In an email response to a Honolulu Star-Advertiser question about upcoming challenges, Kealoha cited the installation of the new computerized dispatch and records management system, the recruitment of qualified officers and civilian employees, and the continued opposition to legalizing marijuana and gambling.

Commission Chairman Ron Taketa said the panel reappointed Kealoha early because his current performance showed that he would have been reappointed in November. The decision will maintain continuity of leadership and reduce distractions that would have occurred had the commission waited until the end of Kealoha’s term.

An early appointment also assures the public that police services will continue at a high level for the next six years, increasing public confidence, he said.

Kealoha, who makes $151,632 a year, impressed commissioners with his efficient operation of the department. With Kealoha at the helm, the department has come in under budget for the past three years and returned more than $22 million to the city.

"He’s doing well in every category that we evaluated," Taketa said. "He’s operating well on all cylinders."

Kealoha also developed a good relationship with the rank and file and the unions that have members employed within the department, Taketa said. A spokesman for the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers did not return calls for comment.

"He’s very much a people person," Taketa said. "He’s very collaborative. He’s very inclusive. He tends to involve his command staff in decision-making and buying into the direction of the department.

"I think that’s helped him work very well given budget constraints and other kinds of problems," he said.

For his second term, Kealoha plans to focus on staying within budget, making the roads safer, lowering property crime — especially burglaries — and increasing employee discipline and accountability.

In his first term, several officers have been arrested or indicted in crimes ranging from shoplifting to extortion.

Kealoha, a 31-year police veteran, said his biggest trials were personal and professional growth while leading the 1,925-officer department.

Kealoha said he takes pride in having converted some officer positions to civilian posts in his reorganization of the department and his creation of the Major Events Division, Quality Assurance Section, Crime Analysis Unit and Social Media Unit. Other points of pride were coordinating security for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative conference and building a more fuel-efficient vehicle fleet.

Under his command the department has seen a continued decrease in major crimes. According to police statistics, index crimes — a measure of serious crimes that are used to make national comparisons — decreased slightly in each of Kealoha’s first three years.

By the end of his second term, Kealoha said, the Police Department will be a "more streamlined and technologically advanced department."

In his three years on the commission, Taketa said, he’s seen the chief grow, gain confidence and make a steady progression in performance and leadership. There is no limit on the number of terms for police chief.