Let's assume that everything the police union said about Chief Boisse Correa in a 2005 survey of its officers is true: Three-quarters of them didn't think he communicated effectively, failed to work with them toward common goals and singlehandedly brought morale to such a low level that he had to go.

But let's also give the chief his due: Crime in Honolulu is the lowest its been since the mid-1970s, staffing levels are at their highest in a decade and his department has earned national accreditation.

His most recent performance review was his best ever. The top local prosecutors for the city and federal government strongly supported him. When a small group of officers were discovered protecting illegal gambling, Correa tightened disciplinary standards and went after those who turned up on FBI wiretaps.

So what about Correa — unpopular with the troops or successful in fighting crime — should be most important to those who live, work and vacation here?

Once Correa let the Police Commission know that he would prefer to serve one more year but could not commit to five, commissioners said they had no choice but to let him go. The City charter was clear, they said, that working another 12 months was not an option. Yet the same city charter allowed Lee Donohue, Correa's predecessor, to be appointed to a second five-year term and saw him retire after a year. The city charter did not change, but the commission's interpretation of the charter under a different mayor did change.

What would have happened if Correa had reupped for five years, as Donohue did, but exited a year later? What could the commission do? Nothing. And if he said he would like to be considered through 2014, would the commission have allowed it or found some other reason for him to leave?

After the commission used the five-year-term loophole, Correa told reporters, "I want to set the record straight. This has not been about one year or five years. It's about the commission wants another chief and that's their prerogative."

Correa didn't play the political game very well and he was never as popular as Donohue or Michael Nakamura. His communication skills were sorely lacking. What kind of leader, least of all the police chief, sets up his office from home and never informs his bosses until they read about it in The Advertiser?

And to be clear, Correa was not a big fan of the media, especially The Advertiser, which aggressively covered his tenure. He went so far as to try to get us to remove our law enforcement reporter from the beat with the flimsiest rationale.

On this one, though, the commissioners come across looking like the nervous political appointees they are, hiding behind a technicality. Correa is right. It's their prerogative to choose a new chief. They just should have had the courage to say so.

Mark Platte is senior vice president and editor of The Advertiser. Reach him at 525-8080.