San Diego Deputy Chief Rudy Tai’s conditional appointment as Kauaʻi police chief marks a turning point for a department with a documented morale problem.

Kauaʻi’s next police chief is a veteran cop from Oʻahu who spent the last 35 years with the San Diego Police Department.

The Kauaʻi Police Commission on Friday voted to appoint San Diego Deputy Chief Rudy Tai to the chief position after a half-year search for a new leader to guide the department out of a well-publicized rut of morale issues. It is a conditional job offer, pending background checks.

“After many years working on the mainland, I am grateful for the opportunity to return home to Hawaiʻi,” Tai said in a prepared statement. “Since I was young my goal has always been to learn as much as I could and one day bring that knowle

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