Jill T.: What were the key factors in the Police Commission's decision not to retain the chief? I read that the chief himself said it was not a matter of a five-year or one-year contract.

Christine H. Camp: The (City) Charter is pretty clear about the Commission's duty to appoint for five years at a time. At this time, knowing that the chief may not fulfill the full five years, we chose not to renew his contract. We look forward to selecting a new leader for our fine department.

Ella: What are the top three qualities you look for in choosing a police chief?

Camp: We look for a lot of things for such an important position. But among many traits, we first would value the person's integrity, respect of the rank and file, and sensitivity to and knowledge of our special local cultures and values.

Aunty Maukanekane: Thank you for allowing this city an opportunity to have some fresh leadership. I am however baffled by your selection of Chief Putzulu as the acting chief at this time. Why not wait until Chief Correa leaves? Also why Chief Putzulu?

Camp: The Charter is very specific as to the succession of department heads. When the head of a city department is absent or if the position is vacant, the next senior-most deputy is required to step into the role. Therefore, there is no "selection" process per se. However, having said that, Chief Putzulu stepped into the acting chief's role during the four months that Chief Correa was absent and during many days — close to 120 days of chief's absence — for various travels. And I must say, he ran the department smoothly, and that says a lot about the fine organization that we have in terms of rank-and-file staffing in the Honolulu Police Department.

John B: What is the target date to appoint a new chief?

Camp: The last selection took approximately 4 1/2 months. While we would like to complete our search by end of August, we know that date would be quite optimistic. We are targeting by the end of this year for the final selection.

Ann Kim: What qualifies someone to become a police commissioner?

Camp: The Police Commission, like all appointed boards in the city and the state, is a body of appointed individuals by the then-head of the governmental entity and subjected to its specific legislative body. I was appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. From what I understand, it was due to my service in the community as a leader of the Small Business Council, former Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, and serving on various nonprofit boards. I believe if one wants to serve the community, they should submit their names and qualifications to the mayor's or governor's office for various commissions.

Mark: If the Police Commission is citing the City Charter and the requirement to appoint a chief for five years, then is Ms. Camp saying our previous Police Commission broke the law by not holding chiefs Douglas Gibb, Michael Nakamura and Lee Donohue to the same requirements?

Camp: It's apples and oranges, so to speak. First of all, the Charter provision about the five-year appointment was effective only beginning with Chief Donohue's appointment. It is my understanding that he did not indicate that he will not fulfill his five-year appointment.

Advertiser Reader: Camp pretends that the decision to not reappoint Chief Correa is based on his questioning whether he would be willing to serve the full five years. Since she was aware of this a long time ago, why did they drag it out until the 11th hour? Why not make the announcement long ago and start the search sooner?

Camp: This was a difficult decision and we needed to review all options, including whether the City Charter allowed us to reappoint the chief for less than a five-year term. Extensive research took time and contemplation but the final result was that we needed to remain true to the charter's intent.

June Business: I read that you are forming a selection committee. What are you looking for in the committee makeup and how many people will be on it? Will they make the final decision?

Camp: The committee will represent a cross-section of our community, including those who have had experience in past selection processes of appointed positions. I would gather that there will be at least one woman, someone representing the business community, labor, and other sectors of the community. The final decision cannot be delegated to a committee. It must be made by the Commission. The Commission will take recommendations and will make the final decision.

Sam: Is the Police Commission going to consult with SHOPO and the rank-and-file on their selection for the 10th chief of the Honolulu Police Department, before the next chief is announced? Are we going to include SHOPO leadership to have a say?

Camp: The Commission looks forward to receiving many applications from many qualified individuals and we will review them and we believe we will select the best qualified candidate.

Paul Bivona: Christine, mahalo nui loa for continuing to volunteer your time and going beyond by answering these questions. My question is, why is it taking to the end of the year to hire a chief when Maui did it on a much quicker timeline to ensure what is presently happening on O'ahu would never happen on Maui? It seems Maui's selection was done in a quick, professional and timely manner, so what are the challenge(s) that O'ahu faces making the selection process so slow?

Camp: I would like to remind everyone that we don't yet have a vacancy. We still have a chief until the end of August and we have an acting chief who has been running the department whenever the current chief is out. We believe we need to make sure that we take careful and measured steps to ensure that the process is done right and the right person is selected for such an important job for the largest county in the state.

Coomulay: If a community group wants to recommend or have input into the choice of chief, how do they go about doing so?

Camp: Anyone can submit input and comments to: The Honolulu Police Commission, 1060 Richards St., Suite 170, Honolulu, HI 96813, (or call) 723-7580. The Honolulu Police Commission is open to all comments from the community, not just for the selection of the chief, but on anything related to the Honolulu Police Department.