Four Hawaii Island officers killed in the line of duty will be honored during public events this week.
Four Hawaii Island officers killed in the line of duty will be honored during public events this week.
The National Police Week events, 10 a.m. Monday at the Hilo Police Station and 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Kona Police Station, include pre-ceremony entertainment and a tribute to Hawaii County police officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. A 21-gun salute accompanied by a rendition of “Taps” is also part of the program.
The officers who died in the line of duty while serving the Big Island community are Manuel Cadinha, in 1918; William “Red” Oili, in 1936; Ronald “Shige” Jitchaku, in 1990; and Kenneth Keliipio, who died in 1997 following a car accident involving an off-duty police officer.
During this year’s Hilo event, a new police memorial, “Ka Malu Aloha,” erected adjacent to the East Hawaii Detention Facility, will be dedicated.
“The wall will stand forever, in remembrance of these fallen heroes, who gave the ultimate sacrifice while protecting and serving the residents of the County of Hawaii,” police said in a prepared statement.
Also during Police Week, station tours will be offered in all districts.
Police Week is a nationally recognized week of activities in support of police work and in recognition of officers who have died or been disabled in the line of duty.
President John F. Kennedy designated May 15 as National Peace Officer Memorial Day in 1962 and in 1994 President Bill Clinton directed the American flag on all government buildings be displayed at half-staff in remembrance of those killed. The week surrounding May 15 is known as National Police Week.
This year, 252 names will be added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall in Washington bringing the number of officers killed in the line of duty in the United States to 20,789, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Fifty-five were officers in Hawaii.
Of the 252 names to be added this year, 123 made the ultimate sacrifice in 2015. The other 129 died earlier in history but whose sacrifice had not been previously documented, according to the memorial.
No officers from the state of Hawaii will be added this year.