{"id":401,"date":"2026-05-21T06:35:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T06:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=401"},"modified":"2026-05-21T06:35:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T06:35:05","slug":"leaders-react-to-selection-of-david-lazar-as-honolulu-police-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=401","title":{"rendered":"Leaders react to selection of David Lazar as Honolulu police chief"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Community leaders across Oahu are weighing in after the Honolulu Police Commission selected David Lazar as Honolulu\u2019s next police chief Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Read more Point-in-Time Count 2026 shows Oahu homelessness shifting toward shelters<\/a><\/p>\n

SHOPO: \u2018Ready to be an active partner\u2019<\/h1>\n

In a statement, State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO) president Don Faumuina congratulated Lazar and said the police officers union looks forward to working with him \u201cto address the challenges facing the Honolulu Police Department, including our retention crisis, aging infrastructure, and employee morale.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbove all else, SHOPO members want to see positive change and to see those changes happen soon,\u201d Faumuina said.<\/p>\n

Faumuina also thanked interim Chief Rade Vanic \u201cfor his willingness, once again, to lead our Department through this period of transition,\u201d and said SHOPO appreciates being included in the selection process.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Faumuina\u2019s remarks come after a union survey showed overwhelming support for finalist Mike Lambert, who received nearly 90% of the vote.<\/p>\n

Mayor: \u2018I look forward to working with him\u2019<\/h1>\n

Blangiardi congratulated Lazar and thanked the police commission and its search firm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to offer my sincere congratulations to David Lazar, our new chief of police,\u201d Blangiardi said. \u201cDavid Lazar is our new chief. I look forward to working with him. Congratulations, David.\u201d<\/p>\n

Council chair: \u2018High expectations\u2019 for new chief<\/h1>\n

In a statement, Waters called Lazar\u2019s selection \u201ca meaningful moment\u201d for HPD and Oahu, and thanked the police commission for moving \u201cwith urgency and care\u201d through what he described as an expedited process.<\/p>\n

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Waters said the council has \u201chigh expectations\u201d for Lazar, including managing HPD\u2019s $350 million-plus annual budget, filling officer and civilian vacancies, and ensuring the department remains accountable.<\/p>\n

\u201cI support the appointment of David Lazar and stand ready to partner with him on recruitment, officer support, public accountability, and community trust,\u201d Waters said.<\/p>\n

Rep. Kila \u2018surprised and shocked\u2019 by selection<\/h1>\n

State Rep. Darius Kila, D-Honokai Hale, Nanakuli, Maili, said he was \u201csurprised and shocked\u201d by the commission\u2019s decision after Lambert drew broad public support.<\/p>\n

Kila said he publicly supported Lambert and worked closely with him, but acknowledged the commission has the authority to choose the chief.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cI think many across the island are feeling that same sentiment. There were several dozen testimony in support (of Lambert),\u201d Kila said. \u201cThe new police chief is going to have to familiarize himself with local communities, the local concerns, and even the initiatives that many of us are trying to push across this island to make our communities that much safer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kila said his priority now is building a working relationship with Lazar and pushing forward public safety efforts, including traffic legislation and enforcement, safety on the Waianae Coast, and implementing school resource officers.<\/p>\n

Kila said, \u201cI have my own concerns. I really want somebody to make sure that we can prioritize traffic safety and enforcement \u2014 that\u2019s top of mind for my community, it\u2019s top of mind for my legislative purview. And we gotta start now.”<\/p>\n

Read more State Sen. Keohokalole enters race for Hawaii\u2019s 1st Congressional District<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Community leaders across Oahu are weighing in after the Honolulu Police Commission selected David Lazar as Honolulu\u2019s next police chief.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nLeaders react to selection of David Lazar as Honolulu police chief - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=401\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leaders react to selection of David Lazar as Honolulu police chief - Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Community leaders across Oahu are weighing in after the Honolulu Police Commission selected David Lazar as Honolulu\u2019s next police chief.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=401\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T06:35:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=401#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=401\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0\"},\"headline\":\"Leaders react to selection of David Lazar as Honolulu police chief\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T06:35:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=401\"},\"wordCount\":535,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=401#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3fc26a8719ba14613e5aa0f1aba8d900.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=401#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=401\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=401\",\"name\":\"Leaders react to selection of David Lazar as Honolulu police chief - 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