In a statement Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth said, “As a former prosecuting attorney, I have had the privilege to work with all of the finalists for Chief of our Hawaiʻi Police Department – all of which I felt were great choices, bringing with them years of experience and varying skillsets that would make any of them viable candidates to run our department. Having worked with Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz for over 15 years on numerous traffic safety committees, I can confidently say that he’s an intelligent guy who works very well with others. I’m excited to continue our work together as we build upon the incredible foundation of community-minded policing laid by former Chief Ferreira and Acting Chief Bugado. I would also like to commend the commission on the diligent work done to narrow the candidates to such a great group of individuals. It takes a lot to want to be considered for the position, as it does to narrow such a qualified pool, and so I extend my sincerest mahalo to all of the candidates and the commissioners who participated in the tedious process.”