Honolulu’s police force has suffered from an officer shortage for years, with the gap between budgeted positions and personnel in the field hitting 465 in July 2025. Until recently, efforts to boost HPD’s ranks were largely unsuccessful and recruitment was unable to keep pace with outgoing personnel. But the department is poised to turn the corner under new Chief David Lazar, and progress will be eagerly and closely watched.
HPD’s officer shortage aligns with a widespread national trend that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Large metropolitan cities lost large chunks of their respective forces to double-digit increases in resignations and retirements, leaving them short thousands of officers. The downturn prompted entire departments to close in some smaller municipalities. Studies investigating what some deem a national crisis cite the stresses that came with pandemic-era policing and concurrent morale-crushing events, such as the murder of George Floyd in 2020, that sparked negative sentiment toward police. Others blame low pay and waning interest in policing as a full-time career. Whatever the cause, large swaths of America are short frontline defenders against crime.
In Honolulu, HPD has the budget for 2,177 sworn officers but was working with more than 370 vacancies in May 2023, a deficit of 17%. That surged to 437 vacancies in March 2024. Officers have been stretched thin. In June 2025, State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO) said recruitment wasn’t the problem; it was retention.
Luckily, HPD’s shortage did not translate to more crime, at least not yet. In fact, violent crime rates have trended down since 2022, according to statistics published in HPD’s 2025 annual report. The department recorded 1,642 violent crimes in 2025, down from 1,849 in 2024 and a five-year high of 2,327 in 2022. Offenses were down across the board — murders, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated theft — as was property crime. That tracks with a statewide reduction in violent crime over the same period.
Still, SHOPO cautioned that officers were taking more overtime duty to fill gaps in HPD’s ranks, and while the extra pay was mostly welcome, continuing without a full force might lead to burnout. Unsustainable.
Former Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan, who was allegedly pressured to step down in June 2025 in part due to dismal officer numbers, attempted to stem the tide but was largely unsuccessful until the tail end of his three-year stint. The issue became a key consideration for the Honolulu Police Commission when it began the search for Logan’s replacement. And now Lazar, who left his position as assistant chief of the San Francisco Police Department in May 2025, is in good position to capitalize on past strategies. He knows the stakes: SFPD’s force is about 200 officers larger than HPD and is currently facing a similar 500-officer shortage.
During a recent City Council Public Safety Committee, Lazar said 66 recruits entered the police academy earlier this year, the largest class in 12 years. Shortly after that class entered, another graduated 37 recruits, marking a seven-year record. Both record-breaking classes were admitted under Logan, and Lazar rightfully gave credit where it was due. Lazar added that HPD is on track to hire “around the same amount of officers” in October, calculating that, including recruits currently in training, the officer gap has closed to about 275. Astounding progress, and Lazar must build on that momentum.
The chief is already looking ahead by forming strategies to allow HPD to hire officers in 90 days. HPD is also bolstering crucial backend positions that perform background checks and recruitment for potential officers. Lazar said his team is casting a wide net and will work to market vacancies to prospective recruits both locally and on the mainland. On keeping existing officers on the payroll, the chief is looking into better salaries and benefits, but said an effective leader can boost retention. It’s been a while since the HPD had one of those.
