When Honolulu Police Maj. Benjamin Moszkowicz is sworn in on Jan. 17 as chief of the Hawaii Police Department, he’ll be Big Island’s first top cop who wasn’t born in Hawaii.
In addition, the 46-year-old Moszkowicz, who was born in Toledo, Ohio, will be only the second Hawaii County police chief who wasn’t promoted from the Big Island department’s ranks. The first was Victor Vierra, who served from 1988 to 1994. He, like Moszkowicz, came from Honolulu.
“I didn’t really go into the process thinking that I was a finalist or that I was a front runner, so it’s a very humbling experience having the Police Commission put their trust in me,” Moszkowicz said last week. “I know they don’t all necessarily trust me yet, but I look at that as an opportunity to win people over, to win their trust and to form collaborative partnerships there and also to advance what the police department is trying to do.”
The son of a career Navy man, Moszkowicz came to Oahu at age 21. He served in the Honolulu department for 22 years, where his command posts included the Traffic Division, Criminal Investigation Division and Human Resources Division where — according to his website “Meet Major Ben” — he “was responsible for all aspects of recruiting, Equal Opportunity investigations, and Human Resources administration and served as the Administrative Services Officer for nearly 2,500 department employees.”
Recruitment has long been an issue here. As of Dec. 14, the Hawaii Police Department has 424 officers and 63 vacancies. Moszkowicz told commissioners on Dec. 12 that law enforcement “does a really poor job of selling ourselves.”
“I could lay five or six ideas on you that I’ve seen other departments do but I don’t want to be that guy who just comes in and wrecks shop,” Moszkowicz said when asked how he’d improve recruitment noting he plans to start work on the ground on Hawaii Island to “see what works here.“ “I think understanding what officers go through on a regular basis helps to build relationships, first of all, and compassion for the sort of work that they’re doing, which then hopefully helps to support or strengthen the narrative that the police are the community and … just happen to have a specific job that sometimes gives people what they need instead of what they want.”
Moszkowicz has committed to appointing a deputy chief from within the department, but has yet to make a decision on his second in command.
“I’m hoping that by the time I get sworn in, that I will be, if not all the way to a decision then close to a decision of who I think can help move the department forward,” he said.
The Hawaii County police chief earns $153,270 a year. Moszkowicz acknowledged he’s taking a pay cut to accept the job, and he’ll have to move his family here, as well. His and his wife, Honolulu attorney Rebecca Lester, have two sons, ages 14 and 12.
Asked why he’d take a job that comes with a pay cut and a move, Moszkowicz referred to lessons learned while earning a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s in law enforcement and public safety.
“I started to realize that maybe the way police departments in America and even in Hawaii were doing things in a way that is completely outdated. And it underserves the community,” he said. “And so I felt like, you know, the skill set I’ve been able to develop both professionally and academically would lend itself well to helping the community on the Big Island.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.