Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan announced that he will retire at the end of the month. Logan has held the position for about three years.
He has faced significant challenges within the department, such as high vacancies and reportedly low morale. He also faced criticism for failing to share real-time updates during critical incidents.
In March, Logan apologized for failing to inform the public during a shooting in Waikīkī.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said that it's not a hostile separation as the conversation had been taking place for a while.
“While I don't have sole authority as mayor to name the interim chief, I'm going to strongly recommend that Ben Moszkowicz, currently the chief on Hawaiʻi Island, come back to Honolulu,” Blangiardi said. “Ben and I have talked. He's agreed to do that. I've talked to Mayor [Kimo] Alameda. Pending the official approval by the Honolulu Police Commission, which will have to vote on it, my strong recommendations have Ben Moszkowicz take over the role of interim chief while we go about the task of looking for a chief effective July 16.”
In addition to being a great leader who knows the job, Blangiardi hoped the next chief will better communicate with the press and public.
He said the selection of the next police chief should not take as long as it has previously.
Honolulu Councilmember Andria Tupola thanked Logan for leading HPD, but said there were several managerial issues within the department. One includes around $50 million in funds that were unspent by the department last year — funds that could've been used to help hire or retain officers.
HPD vacancies have long been an issue. In March, Tupola said she would request Logan's resignation if the vacancy rates in the department didn't get better over the next six months.
“I think the resignation did come at a time where there were some varying pressing managerial issues within HPD. This is the biggest amount of money that HPD has ever returned to the council,” Tupola said.
A survey of 470 HPD employees last year indicated concerns about inadequate equipment and training.
“Our vacancy rates are just one of many issues that were addressed in the 2024 Commander [Performance] survey. I do think that there was a lot of unearthing of things that happened under his tenure. … But I do think that it was very difficult for him in certain managerial aspects,” Tupola said.
In a written statement, Logan said it has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the HPD's 12th chief of police.
“Over the last three years, crime has gone down; and we have made significant progress in moving the HPD forward. This would not be possible without the hard work, commitment, and creativity of our officers and civilian employees. Your dedication to serving and protecting the people of O‘ahu is inspiring and unequaled. And so, it is with a heavy heart and to avoid distracting from the HPD’s important work, I will be retiring at the end of this month,” Logan said.
Ashley Mizuo, Mark Ladao and Pixie Clay contributed to this report.
