Honolulu Police Commission picks Logan for new police chief

HONOLULU — The former head of the Hawai‘i National Guard was chosen Monday to be Honolulu’s new police chief.

The Honolulu Police Commission chose retired Army Maj. Gen. Arthur “Joe” Logan from among four finalists.

Logan takes over from Interim Chief Rade Vanic.

Logan retired from the military in December 2019. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Honolulu police officer for 20 years.

The department is still recovering from the 2019 conviction of former chief Louis Kealoha after he used his law enforcement power to frame his then-wife’s uncle for stealing their mailbox. He’s serving a seven-year federal prison sentence. His wife, a former city prosecutor, is serving 13 years.

Logan said he was “just as surprised as anyone” by the decision and his goal was to motivate, inspire and mentor people in the department.

“I have to make myself available to the public to get their insights and answer their questions and concerns and show that the department … is going to help them in what they would like in their community,” he told reporters after his selection.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi congratulated Logan and said building back public trust and restoring morale within the department need to be top priorities.

“It is imperative that the new chief and my administration establish a strong working relationship, and I will do everything in my power to ensure Chief Logan has the resources he needs to improve public safety an O‘ahu and lead the Honolulu Police Department into the future,” the mayor said in a statement.