(BIVN) – The newly-appointed police chief for Hawaiʻi island, Benjamin Moszkowicz, will be sworn-in on Wednesday in a private ceremony, with a public event set for Kona on a week later.

There are two different events scheduled for the new chief:

• Hilo: an official, private swearing in on Wednesday, January 11th at 1:30 p.m. (livestreamed)
• Kona: a larger, public event at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center on Friday, January 20th at 1:30 p.m.

From the Hawaiʻi Police Department:

Hawai‘i Police Department invites the Hawai‘i Island community to watch the swearing in of newly-appointed Police Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz in two upcoming events: the official private swearing in on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, in Hilo, which will be livestreamed, and a larger, public event on Friday, January 20, 2023, in Kona.

The swearing in on January 11, at 1:30 p.m., is a formality, given that the Chief must be officially sworn in prior to his start date of Tuesday, January 17, 2023, and the Mayor is off island on that date. The private official swearing in on January 11 will be livestreamed on the Department’s Facebook page, with the Mayor and senior commanders in attendance. The ceremony is expected to take 20 minutes.

The public is invited to attend a larger, in-person swearing in ceremony at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center on Friday January 20, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. The monthly Hawai‘i County Police Commission meeting will be held that morning at the same location. Community members can watch the ceremony, which will take place in the courtyard gazebo, and will also have an opportunity to meet the Chief during an informal meet and greet following the ceremony.

“I’m excited to welcome Chief Moszkowicz to Hawaiʻi County and continue our work together as we build upon the incredible foundation of community-minded policing laid by former Chief Ferreira and Deputy Chief Bugado,” says Mayor Mitch Roth. “Hawaiʻi Island is built around community, and we stand ready to do all we can to help our community thrive and succeed.”

“I’m eager to get started,” says incoming Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz. “I’m looking forward to getting to know the communities of Hawai‘i Island, as well as working with our community partners and members of the department to find ways to collaborate on shared challenges.”

The Chief added, “I want to convey to the community that I’m approachable. Recognizing that people might have a hard time pronouncing my last name, I want the community to know they can call me Chief Ben.”

The Hawai‘i County Police Commission named Moszkowicz as chief on December 16, 2022. Chief Moszkowicz comes to Hawai‘i 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 Division and Human Resources Division. 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 Hawaii – West Oahu and a Master of Science Degree in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership from the University of San Diego.

Moszkowicz will name a deputy chief at a later time, and that nominee will then go before the Police Commission for approval. For more information on the swearing in ceremonies, contact the Office of the Chief at (808) 961-2244.