Honolulu Police Chief to Retire after Leading Force for 3 Years

Arthur “Joe” Logan is retiring as the 12th chief of the Honolulu Police Department on June 30.

Logan, a former adjutant general of the Hawaii National Guard, was selected by the Honolulu Police Commission Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi accepted Logan’s resignation this afternoon.

Blangiardi said today that he is strongly recommending that Logan be replaced by former HPD Maj. Ben Moszkowicz, who currently serves as chief of the Hawaii Police Department, as an interim chief. The Honolulu Police Commission will choose a permanent replacement.

In a statement, Logan called his time leading the department “an honor and a privilege.”

“Over the last three years, crime has gone down ; and we have made significant progress in moving the HPD forward. This would not be possible without the hard work, commitment, and creativity of our officers and civilian employees. Your dedication to serving and protecting the people of O ‘ahu is inspiring and unequaled,” said Logan. “And so, it is with a heavy heart and to avoid distracting from the HPD’s important work, I will be retiring at the end of this month.”

Logan said leading a large police department is “tough and demanding, ” and requires constant balancing of competing “needs and wants ” from all sectors of the community.

“Getting the job done is only made possible with the support of many, ” Logan said. “I would like to thank our sworn and civilian employees for all that they do, every day, and often while under pressure. The community needs you. Please keep up the outstanding work.”

He thanked the members of the Honolulu Police Commission for their “trust and support ” and the people, community organizations, and law enforcement agencies which work “closely with the HPD.”

“Lastly, my heartfelt gratitude goes out to my wife, Gaylene, and our family for their support over my decades of public service, ” said Logan. “Thank you for your love and sacrifice. I could not have done it without you.”

It took nearly a year to hire Logan who was selected with a unanimous vote by the commission. Logan was selected from four finalists.

The other three were Moszkowicz ; then-HPD Maj. Mike Lambert, now director of the state Department of Law Enforcement ; and retired New Jersey State Police Lt. Col. Scott Ebner.

The grandson of a New York City police officer who has two brothers who served in the department, Logan joined HPD in 1982. He served as a patrol officer, narcotics /vice officer and solo bike officer before being promoted to sergeant and was assigned as a detective in the robbery detail.

He went on to lead the 2, 000-member Hawaii National Guard with an annual budget of $200 million. Logan worked as a criminal investigator with the state Attorney General’s Office prior to taking command of HPD.

Robert Cavaco, president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, said in statement, “Over the last three years, officer vacancies at the Honolulu Police Department have surged 42 % and continue to climb. We are struggling to retain officers, and currently have 228 officers eligible for retirement. HPD has faced these challenges without a plan and without urgency for three years. We need bold and immediate action to turn the tide, and the change in leadership provides us with that opportunity.”

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