LIHUE — The Kauai Police Department is getting a new chief.
The Kauai County Police Commission selected Todd Raybuck, a former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Captain, as the new KPD police chief, according to a county press release Tuesday.
Raybuck will take over following a change of command ceremony April 22.
The commission finalized its decision during a relatively brief executive session last week, according to several county officials, who said Friday they could not release the name of the candidate until the offer was officially accepted.
Raybuck’s hiring marked the end of a prolonged search for a new chief, following the retirement of former KPD Chief Darryl Perry last year. The effort was repeatedly delayed and expanded, ultimately requiring commissioners to vet 130 applicants from across the country over the course of eight months.
“Not only was Todd the best qualified candidate, he was also the best fit for our Kauai community,” Police Commission Chair Mary Kay Hertog said in a statement Tuesday. “He has more than three decades of law enforcement experience, and we are confident he will take KPD to the next level of excellence.”
Raybuck retired in February from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department as a captain after nearly 27 years of service. His assignment at time of retirement was bureau commander of one of LVMPD’s nine patrol substations and was responsible for leading the department’s patrol and investigative services for the 250,000 residents across the 80 square miles of the southwest Las Vegas valley.
Raybuck graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor of science in criminal justice from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va., in 2017, and is also a graduate of the 274th Session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy in 2018.
He began his law enforcement career on Oahu, while stationed at Wheeler Air Force Base as a U.S. Air Force Security Police law enforcement specialist from 1987 to 1990, and was honorably discharged as a sergeant in 1991.
Raybuck will be moving to Kauai with his wife Kelly, a retired LVMPD police officer with 22 years of service; and his two sons, Kyle and Connor.
“I am humbled and honored to serve the community alongside the dedicated women and men of the Kauai Police Department,” Raybuck wrote in a statement. “I look forward to working with Mayor Kawakami, the Police Commission, and the community to address public safety concerns and improve the quality of life on Kauai. My family and I are excited to be moving from the ‘Ninth Island’ to the Garden Island, and we are grateful for the opportunity to become engaged members of the Kauai community.”
