The selection process for the next police chief was the only agenda item under “unfinished business” for Friday’s meeting of the Hawaii County Police Commission in the council chambers in Hilo.
At meeting’s end, it remained unfinished business.
“The Police Commission still does not know the names of the individual applicants,” said John Bertsch, the commission’s chairman.
Bertsch told those in attendance he was informed unofficially county Human Resources received 44 applications from individuals seeking to succeed Paul Ferreira, who retired as police chief on Aug. 31. He added some were screened out for “not meeting minimal required standards.”
“The individuals that met the required standards were invited to provide additional input based on a questionnaire that was put out,” Bertsch said. “We received 22 responses … one has since rescinded.”
Bertsch said the questionnaires are numbered, and commissioners will not know the names of the respondents to make the evaluation process fair, impartial and unbiased. He said applicants would be ranked “based on the questionnaire.”
“Once we … finish rating those applicants, we’re going to aggregate the score, and we’re going to talk in executive session about how to move forward based on those scores,” he said.
According to Bertsch, once the commission arrives at what they consider the best candidates based on the responses, they’ll request the names of those candidates from Human Resources. They’ll then send letters to the finalists and other applicants “notifying them of their status within the process.”
“So, they will be the first to know. And then, we’ll identify publicly who the finalists are,” Bertsch said. That would be followed by public testimony about the individual finalists, as well as by the finalists, themselves.
“And at the conclusion of that, we would probably interview each candidate in executive session,” Bertsch said. “At the conclusion of that phase, hopefully, the commission would be comfortable enough to either require additional information or make a selection at the time.”
“I would anticipate that, if everything goes smoothly, the end of the year,” Bertsch added, and thanked Acting Chief Kenneth Bugado Jr., who was Ferreira’s deputy chief, “for hanging in there.”
The top two qualities testifiers — both written and in person — told commissioners they want in a new police chief is one who is unvaccinated and respects citizens’ choices to be unvaccinated and unmasked, and one that will respect citizens’ constitutional right to be armed in public.
Roger Christie, who testified in person Friday, said he hopes “to have a non-vaxed chief of police” who “respects medical and religious exemptions for we, the people.” He added the new chief should be “security conscious and proactive in keeping people healthy here and not coercing them into something that’s untested.”
“There’s a likelihood that there’s another pandemic coming, and we have to do better than we did the last time,” he said. “You know, science is not to be followed. It’s to be questioned, it’s to be prodded, it’s to always be updated. And to just say, ‘follow the science, shut up and get your vaccine’ is really, it’s almost hypnosis, you know. And it’s bad to hear that from my point of view.”
Christie added the county “should be handing out vitamin D for free to build up our immune systems.”
Kimberly Hill submitted written testimony expressing disappointment that “our constitutional rights were taken away with mandatory mask wearing and the police did not enforce medical exemptions for those not desiring to wear a mask.” According to Hill, “businesses overstepped their bounds and when police were called (they) did nothing to enforce the rights of the people.”
“I would hope that the next police chief is able to stand up for the rights of the people and not shrink back in fear,” she wrote.
Also in written testimony, Grant Tolleth said past police chiefs “acted arbitrarily out of spite and malice to deny the people, especially senior citizens, the right to use firearms to protect themselves in public areas.”
“I should not have to justify why I can exercise a right to anybody,” Tolleth wrote. “The (U.S. Supreme Court) agrees with me.”
And Dwight Vicente, who testified in person, identifying himself as a citizen of the Kingdom of Hawaii, said police have armed themselves, but not the public, under Title 10, Chapter 134 of the U.S. Code regulating the military.
“That is flawed because Title 10 doesn’t apply here,” he said. “That’s very problematic for you guys, because you guys cannot arm the police department. Nor can a police department be armed under Title 10, Chapter 134. Nor can the chief of police issue permits or license. No authority.
“… The Hawaiian Kingdom, there is no gun control. You went out and bought the gun, you carried the gun. You committed a crime, you was prosecuted for that, period.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.