Members of the community joined the Hawaii Police Department in honoring the four island officers who died in the line of duty at the Police Week ceremony held Wednesday at the Kona Police Station.
Members of the community joined the Hawaii Police Department in honoring the four island officers who died in the line of duty at the Police Week ceremony held Wednesday at the Kona Police Station.
Those in attendance were treated to a demonstration by one of the newest members of the police force, Jet, a narcotics dog and his partner Officer Makuakane-Jarrell where the canine sniffed out a pound of narcotics hidden in a truck.
Remarks from Hawaii County Managing Director Wally Lau and Deputy Police Chief Paul Ferreira followed the presentation. Ferreira stated that over the past decade police nationwide were assaulted an average of 60,000 times yearly resulting in 16,000 injuries and 161 deaths in the line of duty. A total of 20,538 names are engraved at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., of which 54 are from the state of Hawaii.
A memorial is being built at the Hilo Police Station to honor the courage of the four fallen officers from the Big Island, William “Red” Oili, Manuel Cadinha, Ronald “Shige” Jitchaku and Kenneth Keliipio. Ferreira was then joined by Aunty Elizabeth Lee in a candle-lighting ceremony and a 21-gun salute was executed by the Special Response Team followed by a haunting rendition of “Taps” by Michaeloha Elam.
The ceremony was closed with a benediction by Police Chaplain Lani Larrua.