Newly elected Honolulu Police Chief David Lazar was sworn in Thursday, marking the start of his tenure atop Hawaiʻi’s largest police department — and one that stakeholders hope will bring much-needed change to the department.
Lazar’s ceremony took place Thursday morning at the Mission Memorial Auditorium, and was attended by Hawaiʻi leaders and other community members. Once Lazar was sworn in by Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, he was welcomed to the Honolulu Police Department with a standing ovation.
“This is a surreal moment. It is a dream of a lifetime, and it is an awesome responsibility to serve as your next chief of police,” Lazar said. “I do not take this responsibility lightly, and I stand here before you, realizing the significance of this moment.”
Part of the anticipation for Lazar’s leadership lies in the belief and expectation that he will also shake up HPD for the better. Some of the biggest challenges HPD currently faces include its chronic officer and civilian shortages, officer morale and public trust — and a run of recent chiefs whose tenures have ended in controversy.
“You have nothing but our full support,” Blangiardi said in his remarks at the ceremony. “I really think we're about to enter into a whole new era, and that's a tribute to you.”
The Honolulu Police Commission picked Lazar to lead HPD in May, also with a focus on bringing change to the department.
Lazar is a retired assistant chief from the San Francisco Police Department, where he worked for 33 years, and is reportedly the first “outsider” chief picked for HPD in over 90 years.
At the ceremony, Honolulu Police Commission Chair Laurie Foster reiterated the group’s priorities during the six months it took to select the new chief.
“We started out six months ago really trying to understand what this community wanted, where they wanted to take HPD, and what that chief would do for HPD,” Foster said, adding that “the overwhelming unanimous message from the community was, ‘We want transformation. We want transformation, modernization, and we want to take this organization from a good organization … to a great one.’”
Part of the excitement for Lazar also comes from his engagement with HPD, stakeholders and the community over the last two weeks.
After the ceremony, Don Faumuina, the president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, said that’s why he’s “excited” to have Lazar on board.
“ The moment he got voted in from the Police Commission, he has texted or has called me almost every single day,” Faumuina said. “So we're constantly talking story.”
He said that Lazar has been open to SHOPO’s ideas, even relatively small morale-boosting changes like an updated facial hair policy. Faumuina also commended Lazar’s “fresh ideas” to help HPD, which likely include modernization and the use of different technologies — a highlight of his career in San Francisco.
The optimism comes despite Lazar not being SHOPO’s first choice to be chief. An internal survey showed that an overwhelming majority of officers wanted state Department of Law Enforcement Director Mike Lambert, the only local finalist in the running for HPD chief.
Lazar wasn’t Blangiardi’s top pick either. The mayor had previously endorsed Hawaiʻi County Police Department Chief Ben Moszkowicz for the interim chief.
Lazar’s early focus appears to be engaging with HPD and the community. At a police commission meeting on Wednesday, he provided the commissioners with an update on his onboarding process.
One change he was interested in is following up with the public when they testify at commission meetings. He also said the community should be a more explicit part of HPD’s mission.
“We also have to revise our mission, vision, value and purpose statement. When I read the current one, there's no mention of community,” he said. “It's enforcement, and it's the things we need to do, but we have to talk a little bit about community, so it may be time for a new plan.”
At the end of Thursday's ceremony, Lazar said his commitment is to making Oʻahu the safest community in the U.S.
“ To our community, thank you for your partnership and your faith in us. Together, we will continue the work to make Honolulu and the island of Oʻahu the safest and most vibrant community in our country,” Lazar said.
