Hawai‘i County Police Commission Appoints Reed Mahuna as Interim Police Chief

Deputy Chief Reed Mahuna, the second highest-ranking officer in the Hawai‘i Island Police Department and a 28-year veteran, will serve as interim police chief starting September 1. The appointment was made by the Hawai‘i County Police Commission during their monthly meeting on Friday, with a vote of 6-2. Commissioners Jacob Tavares and Wendy Botelho opposed the appointment because they preferred to solicit letters of interest from within the department. Mahuna, age 49, expressed gratitude to the commission, promising he would not let them down in his temporary role. Mahuna replaces Chief Ben Moszkowicz, whose final day is August 31. Moszkowicz resigned on June 4 to become interim chief of the Honolulu Police Department following the retirement of Joe Logan but rescinded his resignation the same day while remaining a candidate for the Honolulu position. Mahuna was named Acting Deputy Chief on July 1, 2023, and made permanent Deputy Police Chief on January 16, 2024. He has served as Major of Area I Operations, overseeing the Criminal Investigation Division, including vice, juvenile aid, criminal investigation sections, and the crime lab, as well as Major of the Technical Services Division, which covers the communications dispatch center, maintenance, computer center, records and identification, and traffic services.