Maui police chief, a former Metro captain, may get big pay raise

WAILUKU, Hawaii — Maui’s new police chief, who recently arrived from Las Vegas, could receive a pay raise to $205,000 a year.

The Maui Police Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend the raise, which is 29% more than the current police chief salary of $158,851, The Maui News reported.

If the Salary Commission approves the raise, Chief John Pelletier would earn more than Maui Mayor Michael Victorino, whose office confirmed has an annual salary of $151,979.

Chief John Pelletier requested a raise to $195,000 a year. He said that amount would be fair after comparing salaries of his counterparts in California departments with similar populations.

Those departments paid their chiefs more than $200,000 a year and have fewer officers than the Maui Police Department, according to Pelletier’s presentation.

In 2020, Maui County’s population was 164,754, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

In fiscal year 2020, Honolulu’s police chief earned $205,800 leading a department on an island with more than a million people.

“We all know living here that Hawaii has the highest cost of living in the United States,” Pelletier said at Wednesday’s commission meeting. “And we know Maui costs more. We all know that the median cost of a house is a million-plus.”