Kaua‘i Police Commission appoints Elliott Kalani Ke as Interim Chief of Police

News release from KPC, March 28, 2025

LĪHU‘E – The Kaua‘i Police Commission issues the following statement on their decision on Friday, March 28, 2025, regarding the appointment of an Interim Chief of Police.

“Today, after considering and adopting the recommendations of the permitted interaction group tasked with determining the process to hire an Interim Chief of Police, the Commission has decided to appoint the current Assistant Chief, Elliott Kalani Ke, as the Interim Chief of Police,” said the Kaua‘i Police Commission. “The Commission has full confidence in Kalani and appreciates his willingness to serve and lead the Kaua‘i Police Department."

Starting his law enforcement career at KPD in 1999, Chief Ke began as a Patrol Services Bureau officer and spent 13 years serving in various roles, including Patrol Officer, Traffic Safety Officer, Drug Abuse Resistance Education Officer, and Vice Officer in the Investigative Services Bureau.

In 2012, he was promoted to Sergeant and joined the Chief’s Office in Internal Affairs. Two years later, he advanced to Lieutenant in the Criminal Intelligence Unit within the same office. By 2016, he had risen to the rank of Captain, a role he maintained for four years until his promotion to Assistant Chief in 2020.

 Chief Ke also holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Bethel University, is an alumnus of the FBI National Academy (2015), and has been honored with several awards, including KPD’s Employee of the Year, Top Cop, and the Hawaiʽi State Law Enforcement Officials Association’s Officer of the Year in 2008.

The appointment will take effect upon Chief Raybuck’s retirement this year. That date has not yet been determined. The notice of appointment provides stability and continuity for the Department and enables the Police Commission to conduct an intensive executive search.

The issue was discussed in ES KPC 2025-7 and KPC 2025-10 during their monthly meeting on Friday, which was in executive and open session. Action was taken during the open session before the meeting closed.

Also on the agenda Friday were two discussion items regarding the chief of police’s retirement, following Chief Raybuck’s announcement to Kaua‘i Police Department employees on Nov. 13. The Commission acted on a draft job description and advertisement to solicit applications as well as the formation of a permitted interaction group to formulate recommendations for the reviewing and scoring of applications.

This will be the only statement from the Kaua‘i Police Commission on this matter at this time, as no further information is available.

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KITV Mar 29, 2025: The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO) released the following statement about Chief Raybuck’s retirement

“Today, the men and women of the Kauai Police Department should be celebrating their achievement of the first major step in rebuilding the Department into a place where both police officers and civilians are eager to come to work. Instead, their hope and optimism have been squelched by the continued selfish actions of Todd Raybuck. His refusal to provide the Police Commission with a retirement date not only hampers the transition to an interim and permanent Chief but also reflects the actions and behavior that employees have had to endure for five years.

“Setting aside the petty actions of one, we are pleased that the Kauai Police Commission has appointed Assistant Chief Elliott Kalani Ke as the Interim Chief of Police. Chief Ke is a dedicated public servant who leads with integrity, honesty and humility. When a leadership vacuum occurred in the Chief’s office last summer, Chief Ke stepped up and worked directly with SHOPO and the other command staff members to reach an agreement on issues that languished for months or even years. He was firm, but he listened and treated everyone with respect, and it got results. We are all eager to put the damage and trauma of the last 5 years behind us. We are eager for Chief Ke to assume the role of Interim Chief,” Robert Cavaco, SHOPO President.

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TGI: Elliott Kalani Ke appointed Interim Chief of Police - The Garden Island