The Honolulu Police Department swore in Chief Joe Logan Tuesday morning without notice in a ceremony that was not open to the public.

Logan was sworn in alongside his deputy chiefs, former Interim Police Chief Rade Vanic and Keith Horikawa, by an HPD officer during a brief ceremony shortly after Logan passed his preemployment screenings, according to HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu and Honolulu Police Commission Chair Shannon Alivado.

Alivado said that police commissioners were invited to the event about an hour and a half before it occurred. She added that the swearing-in was not intended to be secretive despite it occurring without notice, public involvement or attendance by Mayor Rick Blangiardi.

“The point was getting him on board as efficiently and quickly as possible,” Alivado said. “The public expected his official capacity to be imminent and the commission wanted to make sure that he was on board and able to start work as soon as possible.”

Following the ceremony, Logan will now be able to act in an official capacity as an officer of the Honolulu Police Department.

Tuesday’s swearing-in comes just over three weeks after the police commission appointed Logan as HPD’s new police chief. The announcement followed a nearly year-long search to fill the position following the retirement of Police Chief Susan Ballad on June 1, 2021.

Logan, a retired major general with the military who had been working as a criminal investigator with the Hawaii Attorney General’s Office, is now back with HPD after having worked for the department from 1982 until 2002 as a detective and sergeant.

“We’re in our fourth week (after) we named him on May 23,” Alivado said. “I think the public was also expecting the chief to come on sooner as well as us, but as an external employee there were requirements that he had to ensure that he was in compliance with.”

Yu and Alivado said that there will be a more formal swearing-in ceremony at the end of the month that will be open to the media.

“We wanted that to be what everyone celebrated and highlighted with respect to (Logan) being in his official capacity,” Alivado said. “But the clock starts today.”