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The search for a Honolulu police chief will stretch into at least mid-September as the Honolulu Police Commission struggles to retain a consulting firm to help with the selection process.
Police Commission Chairman Max Sword said Wednesday that a teleconference is scheduled today between commission officials and the second-ranked vendor that answered a call for proposals for a consultant.
The commission had to begin negotiating a contract with the second-ranked vendor after the top-ranked vendor pulled out at the last minute, Sword said. The first firm believed its main purpose was headhunting candidates, an exercise not necessary since there are already 34 qualified chief candidates, he said.
Sword had said two weeks ago that he expected to have a consultant hired by Wednesday’s meeting and that he anticipated hiring a new chief by “late August, early September.”
That schedule has now been pushed back at least another two weeks, Sword said. “Hopefully sooner but at this point … I think we’re looking at mid-September, at the earliest.”
The vendor the city is now negotiating with has done similar work in almost half of the United States, Sword said. Only three vendors submitted proposals, all of which have extensive mainland experience, he said. The commission budgeted $50,000 to hire a consultant, he said.
Former Chief Louis Kealoha retired effective March 1, several months after receiving a letter informing him that he is a target of a federal corruption case.
The chief’s job pays $191,184 annually, effective July 1, under a 5 percent increase made by the Honolulu Salary Commission this year.
No one on the seven-member police commission will see the applications until a consultant is picked and a process for prioritizing candidates can be agreed upon, Sword said.
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