Hawaiʻi Police Department Chiefs

George Larsen, Jr.

July 1, 1943 – June 15, 1948

In 1943, Hawaiʻi Police Department as we know it was created when the Hawaiʻi Territorial legislature passed Act 62, abolishing the position of Sheriff and placing the department under the authority of the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission, effective July 1, 1943. Setting about in search for a new Chief, the Police Commission selected George Larsen Jr.

Originally from California, Larsen had been named Police Chief on Maui a few years earlier when he was about 30 years old. Having already heralded one department through such a transition, Larsen was a natural fit to manage the transition of Hawaiʻi Police Department into a new era.

Chief Larsen had his work cut out for him. There was the issue of transitioning staff from the previous sheriff system to the new department. With WWII in full swing, recruitment was an issue with young men well suited for police work heading off to serve in the armed forces or working for companies on the mainland aiding the war effort.

In addition to personnel, Chief Larsen had to upgrade facilities and equipment. He instructed the Department of Public Works to create more office space areas within the Hilo Police Station on Kalākaua Avenue to accommodate Records personnel.

In December 1943 the department bought three new station transmitters and mobile receivers for all cars in the districts beyond Hilo thus, “bringing the radio system of the County up to a point in modernity and efficiency where it will serve the fullest possible benefit”.

Chief Larsen served until June 15, 1948, when then Assistant Police Chief Anthony R. Paul was named by the Police Commission as the new Police Chief.

Anthony R. Paul

June 16, 1948 – December 29, 1968

When Police Chief Larsen stepped down in 1948, the Police Commission appointed Anthony Paul Chief of Police. Anthony Paul served as Chief from June 16, 1948, through December 29, 1969, making him the longest serving Chief in the department’s history.

His long tenure is even more striking considering he served as Assistant Chief from 1943 to 1948, meaning he served in the number one or two top positions of the department for 26 years, more than the average span of an officer’s entire career.

Chief Anthony Paul oversaw tremendous growth and change in Hawaiʻi Police Department in the quarter century plus that he managed the department as Assistant Chief (the equivalent of Deputy Chief at the time) and Chief. He oversaw the department’s response to both the 1946 and 1960 tsunamis that devastated Hilo, as well as the building of the Hale Nani Police Academy and Firing Range in 1954.

When he was named Assistant Chief in 1943, HPD had 97 officers, compared to 187 in 1969. The budget had grown too from $190,504.44 in 1943 to $2,300,000 in 1969.

When Chief Anthony Paul retired on December 29, 1969, the Deputy Chief, George A.K. Martin, was sworn in as Chief of Police on December 30.

George A.K. Martin

December 30, 1969 – April 30, 1970

Although his tenure as Chief was short, Chief George Martin had a long and distinguished career with Hawaiʻi Police Department from its earliest days. A Lieutenant in the Detective Bureau when Hawaiʻi Police Department was formed in 1943, Martin was Captain of the Detective Bureau when Chief Anthony Paul appointed him to the position of Assistant/Deputy Chief in 1948. During his 21-year tenure as Deputy Chief he oversaw much of the training of all sworn personnel.

Chief Martin had the shortest tenure of any Chief in the department, retiring after just four months on May 1, 1970.

Ernest J. Fergerstrom

May 1, 1970 – July 31, 1976

After Chief Martin retired, the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission named Ernest J. Fergerstrom Chief of Police and he was sworn in on May 1, 1970. He selected Guy Paul, the son of retired Chief Anthony Paul, as his Deputy Chief.

Fergerstrom joined the department in 1946 and worked most of his career in the Hāmākua District before being named Chief. Prior to joining Hawaiʻi Police Department, Fergerstrom served in the Navy during World War II and was stationed in Honolulu on December 7, 1941.

In 1970, Hawaiʻi County had a population of 63,468 and HPD was staffed with 166 sworn personnel and 31 civilians. Hilo was referred to as a port city and fell under HPD’s Operations Hilo Division, while all the other police districts on island, from North Kohala to Ka‘ū, were combined together and referred to as Operations Country Division.

Among Chief Fergerstrom’s accomplishments, police initiated the Green Harvest program targeting marijuana growers. Known for his honesty and transparency, Chief Fergerstrom led the department for nearly six years, retiring on July 31, 1976.

Guy A. Paul

August 1, 1976 – November 30, 1988

Chief Anthony Paul’s son, Guy Paul, followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the department in 1958 and rising through the ranks for 18 years, before being sworn in as Hawaiʻi Police Department’s fifth Police Chief on August 1, 1976.

In the years leading up to being named Chief, Guy Paul oversaw the construction of the current police headquarters in Hilo, which opened in 1975. During his tenure he emphasized education and training, helping start the first Hawaiʻi Island police science classes through Honolulu Community College, a program subsequently started at Hawaiʻi Community College.

Guy Paul would go on to serve another 12 years, retiring in November 1988 after 30 years of service. Between father and son, Anthony Paul and Guy Paul served as Police Chief for 33 of HPD’s first 45 years.

Victor V. Vierra

December 1, 1988 – August 15, 1994

Following Paul’s retirement, the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission appointed Victor V. Vierra as Chief. Vierra served as the department’s sixth police chief from December 1, 1988, through August 15, 1994.

Vierra came to Hawaiʻi Island from Oʻahu as Captain of Honolulu Police Department’s Scientific Investigations Section. During his 18-year tenure at Honolulu Police Department, Vierra was also commander of the Field Training Office.

From 1977 to 1979, Vierra spent two years as Police Chief of Palau, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands as part of a program designed to improve the police functions of the Territory through the use of police leaders from Hawaiʻi.

Subsequent to Vierra’s appointment, Francis C. De Morales was appointed Deputy Police Chief.

Wayne Carvalho

November 16, 1994 – October 17, 2000

On November 16, 1994, former Deputy Police Chief Wayne Carvalho came out of retirement and started his second stint with Hawaiʻi Police Department when the Police Commission appointed him the department’s seventh police chief. Carvalho started his career as a jail guard in 1964 before becoming a police officer in 1965. He rose through the ranks before being appointed Deputy Chief in 1983 under Chief Guy Paul’s tenure.

Carvalho retired in October 1988 after 25 years with the department, a month before Chief Guy Paul retired and Victor Vierra was named Chief.

As Chief, Carvalho modernized technology within the department, launching HPD’s website, hawaiipolice.com, on March 23, 1999. That same year, the department also acquired a worldwide computer email system.

Carvalho served as Chief for six years, retiring on October 17, 2000.

James Correa

January 19, 2001 – August 15, 2002

Chief James Correa became Hawaiʻi Police Department’s eighth police chief when he was named Acting Police Chief effective October 18, 2000, upon the retirement of Chief Wayne Carvalho.

Chief Correa joined the department in February 1975, and rose through the ranks for two decades before being named acting Deputy Police Chief in May 1995, a role he held for five years before being named Chief. He served as acting Chief for three months before being formally appointed as Police Chief on January 19, 2001.

Chief Correa’s tenure was relatively short compared to previous chiefs—he stepped down in August 2002, however, the department made some innovative changes under his watch. In 2001, a new computer system was implemented that allowed for the electronic photographing and fingerprinting of suspects to see if the arrestee was wanted anywhere else in the US. Prior to that time, officers were taking Polaroid photos of arrestees and manually typing out fingerprint cards.

The Hawaiʻi Criminal Justice Data Center chose Hawaiʻi Police Department to pilot a new program, which integrated the “Livescan” fingerprinting system and “Crime Capture” electronic mug shot system. The results were tremendous, with booking a suspect and filling out paperwork shortened from 60 minutes to 20 minutes.

Lawrence K. Mahuna

December 9, 2002 – December 30, 2008

Following Chief Correa’s tenure, Administrative Bureau Assistant Chief Lawrence K. Mahuna took the helm of Hawaiʻi Police Department as Acting Chief on October 18, 2002. Less than two months later the Police Commission formally appointed him Chief of Police, making Mahuna HPD’s ninth chief.

Harry Kubojiri, who was Major of Area II Field Operations at the time, was appointed Deputy Chief.

Mahuna joined the department in 1973. Over the next 25 years he rose through the ranks, and was named Assistant Chief of the Administrative Bureau in 1998.

Chief Mahuna’s first year in office saw the creation of two task forces, one in East Hawai‘i and one in West Hawaiʻi, to combat the trafficking of crystal methamphetamine (ice). The following year, the department’s Ice Task Force led an eight-month long, multi-agency investigation known as “Operation Capsize” that brought down the largest—and one of the most sophisticated—crystal methamphetamine smuggling operations in the state. As part of the investigation, police arrested 50 individuals, recovered more than 27 pounds of crystal meth, more than $1 million in US currency, 13 vehicles, and 32 firearms.

Chief Lawrence Mahuna retired on December 30, 2008, after 34 years with the Hawaiʻi Police Department.

Harry S. Kubojiri

December 8, 2008 – December 30, 2016

In December 2008, the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission unanimously voted in Harry S. Kubojiri as HawaiʻiPolice Department’s 10th police chief. At the same time, the Commission appointed then-Assistant Chief Paul Ferreira as Deputy Police Chief.

Joining Hawaiʻi Police Department in July 1979, Kubojiri rose through the ranks until December 2002 when Chief Lawrence Mahuna selected him as his Deputy Chief (with formal appointment by the Police Commission). Kubojiri was instrumental in establishing the Department’s Special Response Team, which he commanded from 2000 to 2006, doing double duty as commander of SRT and second in command of the department.

As Deputy Chief, Kubojiri graduated from the 2004 Northwest Law Enforcement Executive Command College and was a graduating member of the Ulumau Leadership Series in 2008.

In all, Chief Kubojiri served the Hawaiʻi Police Department for 37 years before retiring on December 30, 2016. 

Paul Ferreira

December 20, 2016 – August 31, 2022

When Chief Harry Kubojiri retired in December 2016, the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission selected his Deputy Chief, Paul Ferreira, as next leader of Hawaiʻi Police Department.

After graduating Hilo High School, Ferreira served in the US Air Force as a Law Enforcement Specialist and was stationed in the Philippines for four years before joining the department in July 1982. Starting his career as a patrol officer, and subsequently as a detective, he rose through the ranks becoming Assistant Chief of the Administrative Bureau, before being named deputy chief by Chief Harry Kubojiri in December 2008.

During his career, Ferreira was recognized as the 1999-2000 County of Hawaiʻi Supervisor of the Year while serving as the Lieutenant in the Administrative Services Division. In August 2019, Chief Ferreira graduated from the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS) Session held in Virginia. 

Chief Ferreira guided the department through challenging times, including the May 2018 lava eruption in lower Puna that destroyed more than 700 homes. Just three months later, tragedy struck within the department with the murder of Officer Bronson Kaililoa in July 2018.

There were positive moments too, like the implementation of body worn cameras, a new fully digitized radio system, and the launching of our popular ‘Coffee With a Cop’ program.

Upon Chief Ferreira’s retirement on August 31, 2022, then-Deputy Chief Kenneth Bugado served as Acting Police Chief until his retirement on December 30, 2022, after serving for 33 years with Hawaiʻi Police Department.

Benjamin T. Moszkowicz

January 17, 2023 – Present

Benjamin Moszkowicz was appointed Chief of Hawaiʻi Police Department by the Hawaiʻi County Police Commission on December 16, 2022, and sworn in on January 17, 2023.

Chief Moszkowicz came to Hawaiʻi Island from Honolulu Police Department, where he most recently served as Major in the Traffic Division. During his 22-year tenure with Honolulu Police Department, he served in every division from patrol watch commander to overseeing the 60-member Police Mountain Bike Team, to managing the Information Technology and Human Resources Divisions.

In addition to being a certified Drug Recognition Expert and Instructor, Moszkowicz was honored with the first-ever Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Hawaii Lifetime Achievement Award for his tireless dedication to preventing impaired driving through education and enforcement.

A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Moszkowicz holds a Bachelor of Art’s Degree in Public Administration with a specialization in Justice Administration from the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu and a Master of Science Degree in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership from the University of San Diego.

On July 1, 2023, Chief Moszkowicz named Major Reed K. Mahuna Acting Deputy Chief. Mahuna, the son of retired Police Chief Lawrence Mahuna, was sworn in as Deputy Police Chief on Friday, January 12, 2024. He was permanently appointed as Deputy Police Chief effective Tuesday, January 16, 2024.