With a mid-April deadline in sight, the Hawaii County Police Commission is ramping up efforts to select the island’s next police chief — and fast.

The commission will meet 9 a.m. Friday in the Council Chambers of the County Building in Hilo to finalize key parts of the hiring process, including written questions for qualified applicants. The application deadline is Oct. 31.

The commission at its Sept. 19 meeting expressed interest in speeding up the process, noting that other counties also are conducting police chief searches. Members cited the previous hiring cycle — which lasted about four months — as a model that could be streamlined further. In that cycle, recruitment opened on Aug. 1 and closed on Aug. 28, with a chief appointed by Dec. 16.

Commissioners said filling the role quick

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