Following former Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard’s retirement in June, the city’s 12th police chief is expected to be selected within the next four months, according to Honolulu Police Commission Chair Shannon Alivado and Commissioner Doug Chin, who on Friday addressed the matter on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” livestream show this morning.

Navigating the city’s procurement laws to retain a consultant to sift through the applications of 19 candidates took longer than expected, they said. Among the candidates, six are current Honolulu Police Department officers, five are retired HPD officers and one works in Hawaii law enforcement.

Whether the next chief is from Hawaii or elsewhere, Alivado said, the commission is committed to hiring a candidate who understands that the department is due for much-needed changes.

In the wake of the public corruption scandal involving former Police Chief Louis Kealoha and Ballard’s abrupt retirement, Alivado and Chin maintained that a thorough selection process is in order to tap a qualified, transparent and communicative candidate who appreciates Honolulu’s diverse makeup.

Given HPD’s uneven history, along with shifting local and national attitudes about what 21st-century policing should be like, a careful process with ample community input was necessary, Chin said.

“We are coming out of a time where at least two chiefs ago the city was rocked by a very serious scandal. It’s probably one of the most serious things that happened in the history of Oahu,” said Chin. “Whoever is our next chief, after the previous chief retired early and left us with this situation, we want to make sure we make the right choice.”

Chin said the successful candidate will be able to function as the “face of the department” and be available to communicate with the media, community groups and fellow officers.

Alivado said the candidates will participate in a written exam in March, followed by an assessment, placing applicants in mock management situations so the consultant and commissioners can evaluate how they lead in real time. The consultant is withholding the names of the candidates until three to five finalists are selected. That list will be released to the public.

In November 2020, Kea­loha was sentenced to seven years in prison for using his position as chief to frame a relative for a crime he didn’t commit in Hawaii’s biggest corruption case.

Alivado said in the aftermath of that case that Ballard was a “bright light,” and credited her with helping restore some public trust. Moving forward, more improvement in key areas such as communication and transparency is in order, she said.