Hawaiʻi Police Chief Moszkowicz is out. Commission does not accept retraction of his resignation

Ben Moszkowicz is out as Hawaiʻi Island police chief after the Police Commission voted 4-4 on Thursday not to accept the retraction of his resignation.

His last day will be Aug. 31, after the commission amended his original resignation date of July 15 at Moszkowiczʻ request to tie up some loose ends and accommodate his retirement benefits.

The saga began on June 4, when Moszkowicz submitted his resignation in order to become interim chief of the Honolulu Police Department. He did so after Honolulu City and County Mayor Rick Blangiardi recommended Moszkowicz for the interim position after the unexpected retirement of Joe Logan.

Moszkowicz served on the Honolulu Police force for 22 years as a captain and other ranks, and was a finalist for its police chief, before becoming chief of the Hawaiʻi County Police Department in December 2022.

But only hours after submitting his resignation, Moszkowicz sent another email to Police Commission Chair Rick Robinson rescinding that resignation. Moszkowicz remained a candidate for the Honolulu interim police chief position, but was not selected by its Police Commission.

On June 21, the Hawai’i Island Police Commission met to decide his fate, but with Moszkowicz absent due to a prior family obligation on Kauaʻi, the Commission decided to hold a special hearing on July 10 to hear his side of the story.

While addressing the Commission, Moszkowicz laid out the timeline of events that led to the resignation, his withdrawal, the interview for interim chief and his public apology. He expressed his regret for the resignation and his desire to remain on the Big Island to serve the community.

“When I applied for this position over two and a half years ago, I intended to stay here,” Moszkowicz told the Police Commission. “My family and my roots continue to deepen here. If I could rewind the last six weeks and undo my actions, I absolutely would.”

He continued: “In my heart, I am not done being the police chief in Hawaiʻi County. There are so many projects and successes down the pipeline I want to complete, and if given the chance, I pledge to continue as chief here for years to come and publicly commit to not applying to be chief anywhere else.”

However, when asked by police commissioner Lloyd Enriquez what he would have done if he had been hired for the Honolulu interim position, Moszkowicz said he does not know.

“For us, it would have shown your commitment if you had withdrawn your application in Oʻahu,” Enriquez said. “My family has been here for generations, and we have a high level of integrity. What I do represents my family and community. Our decisions that we make here reflect that. And it’s important to me that we have someone in this role with a true commitment to building the police department.”

Leadership from the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO) and several immigration advocates wanted him out due to his policy of working with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

“The facts show a timeline of a month-long effort to secure the job in Honolulu,” said Sean Phalen, the Chair of the Hawaiʻi Chapter of the police union. “It’s important you consider the impact the ordeal has had on your officers.”

Phalen said that two days before the chief resigned with the commission, he announced his departure to union members: “And to many of them, it was a shock.”

Phalen added that Moszkowicz’ rescinding of his resignation was not due to a change of heart, but “a reaction to his Honolulu plan ending badly. His apology was not for leaving, but for his premature announcement.”

“Leadership is built on trust, and our members have told us trust is broken. You cannot lead a department that has lost faith in your dedication toward it,” Phalen said.

A few supporters championed for Moszkowicz in written and in person testimony, including former police commissioner Pudding Lassiter, who was part of the commission when he was hired in 2022.

“Since he has started in this position, Chief Ben has gone out of his way to benefit the police officers and the community as a whole,” Lassiter said. “It’s rare to see someone lead with such humility, enthusiasm and dedication. I’m proud to know him, not only as our chief, but as someone who truly cares about the people he serves.” 

The vote to accept Moszkowicz’s withdrawal was split between the eight commissioners, with Jacob Tavares, Wendy Sue Botelho, Greg Yamada voting no. Chairman Rick Robinson, Vice Chair John Bertsch and commissioners Arthur Buckman and Eileen Lacerte voted yes. There is a vacancy for the ninth member of the Commission.

After the vote, Moszkowicz said: “I was a bit disappointed.  I had hoped that I could convince the Police Commission that I am committed to service in the Big Island community. Ultimately, I respect their decision.  They have a tough job to do representing the communities they serve as volunteers.”

He added: “I appreciate the opportunity to have led the Hawaiʻi Police Department for the past two and a half years.  I hope I have helped in some small way towards building trust with the community and the department.”

Hawai‘i County Mayor Kimo Alameda said he “sincerely thanks Moszkowicz for his service to the county.”

When asked what he was proud of during his time as chief, Moszkowicz mentioned the hiring of more than 90 new police officers in the last 30 months with another 38 possible new hires this year.

“That equals almost a third of the sworn members of the department having been hired in only three years,” Moszkowicz said. “I am also proud of the work we have done in sharing information proactively with the community through our website and other methods.  We handle thousands of media requests each year and have never given ‘no comment’.”

Moszkowicz plans to spend the next month and a half ushering in a few last technological and communications improvements and getting the department ready to hand off to whoever is “fortunate enough to become the next chief.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated with comments and information from the Police Commission meeting.