HILO » Promising to keep the Hawaii County Police Department “;as transparent as possible,”; the county's new police chief, Harry Kubojiri, was sworn in yesterday by Mayor Billy Kenoi.

Kubojiri replaces Lawrence Mahuna, who retired at the end of last year after 36 years with the department. Kubojiri, a 29-year veteran of the department, likened it to a ship and credited Mahuna with turning it around 180 degrees. “;I will try my best to keep us on course,”; he said.

He also said he would be “;as transparent as possible without violating anyone's personal rights or the law.”;

Kubojiri did not offer an explanation, but both statements were seen as references to practices in the 1980s when high-ranking officials in the department helped favored officers to cheat to get promotions. Lawsuits resulting from the cheating lingered into this decade.

Paul Ferreira was also sworn in as the new deputy chief. Kubojiri had been serving as deputy, and Ferreira as an assistant chief in charge of the Administrative Bureau.