Sherry Bird becomes first woman deputy chief in Hawaii Police history

Sherry Bird’s elevation to deputy chief gives the Hawaiʻi Police Department a first in its 83-year history, and it arrives with practical questions for Hawaiʻi Island: who answers the call, how fast they get there, and whether residents in places like South Kohala, North Kohala, West Hawaiʻi and Hilo feel the difference.

Bird was confirmed by the Hawai‘i County Police Commission on March 20 and sworn in immediately as HPD’s second-in-command. She became the first woman ever to hold the deputy chief post in a department that says it has had 13 police chiefs since its creation in 1943. Bird, a 28-year veteran, graduated in the same recruit class as Chief Reed K. Mahuna, tying her rise to a long stretch of service rather than a sudden leap.

Her climb also reflects a steady progression through the department’s most operational corners. Bird became assistant chief of the Administrative Services Bureau in February 2025, overseeing the Special Response Team, Administrative Services Division, Technical Services Division and Human Resources and Finance Sections. Before that, she led the Administrative Services Division, served as major of West Hawaiʻi Field Operations Bureau and worked as patrol captain in South Kohala. Her earlier assignments included lieutenant in West Hawaiʻi Criminal Investigation Division, detective and lieutenant in West Hawaiʻi Vice, officer in the Criminal Intelligence Unit, and patrol officer in the North Kohala and Kona districts.

The symbolic weight of the promotion is clear, but Bird’s outlook points to a more day-to-day measure of success. “We’re all community policing officers, whether we’re assigned to Community Policing or not,” she said. HPD describes community policing officers as problem solvers assigned to every district on island to build partnerships through neighborhood watch, citizen patrol, crime prevention and other outreach. On an island where officers are expected at school crossings, neighborhood meetings and major incidents alike, that philosophy could shape how often residents see familiar faces and how quickly problems are addressed before they grow.

Bird’s appointment also comes as HPD tries to close a staffing gap. She said the department is about 69 or 70 sworn positions short, not including additional retirements that could still come. HPD has responded with continuous recruitment, monthly written and agility tests and multiple recruit classes running at once, part of an effort to keep patrol coverage from thinning further across Hawaiʻi Island’s districts.

Mahuna, who was sworn in as HPD’s 13th chief on February 20, has already begun monthly “Talk Story with the Chief” sessions to improve communication with the public. Bird said those sessions matter because they make command staff more visible, present and available. For a department balancing tradition, staffing pressure and public expectations, her promotion now carries a clear test: turn a historic first into better service in the places where residents notice policing most.