New HPD chief addresses fireworks enforcement, staffing plans ahead of swearing-in

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The day before his official swearing-in ceremony as Honolulu police chief, David Lazar joined police commissioners and offered several key updates.

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Ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, he said HPD will be staffed and out enforcing fireworks laws and overall safety.

Chief Lazar himself will take part in a parade in Windward Oahu, and walk the Waikiki beat later that evening.

Staffing and retention are already on his radar. Lazar said he’s forming a recruitment plan to address more than 460 vacancies, and knows that morale needs to be boosted.

“I think it starts with, is HPD a great place to work? And that is our goal,” Lazar said. “How do we value our employees? How do we treat our employees? How do we support them? A salary is important, but feeling good about your work and who you report to, and whether you feel valued I think is number one, and that’s what we need to be about.”

With the many meetings he has planned, he wants to explore why officers are leaving the department.

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During the meeting, commissioner Kenneth Silva also shared he’s already been hearing positive feedback about the early engagement Lazar has done with the community and within the department.

“They’re impressed with the engagement that you started when you weren’t on island and now that you are on island for the past two weeks,” Silva said. “I think for me as a commissioner, as part of the selection process, that’s very comforting, very encouraging. The amount of energy that you bring to the job is awesome.”

Onboarding has also been completed. Lazar shared his background check has cleared, and he passed required driving and firearms tests.

Mission Memorial Auditorium on South King Street is expected to be packed for his swearing-in ceremony Thursday.

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The program begins at 10 a.m. and will be live-streamed on HawaiiNewsNow.com.