Monument honoring fallen officers unveiled at Hilo police station

HILO — A memorial dedicated to the four Hawaii Police Department officers who gave their lives in the line of duty was unveiled Monday during Police Week ceremonies at the Hilo police station.

About 100 civilians, including dignitaries, business leaders and families of the fallen officers bore witness as the polished black granite monument named “Ka Malu Aloha” — Hawaiian for “the shelter of aloha” — was revealed. Also engraved on the memorial on the Hualalai Street side of the station are the names of the four fallen law enforcers: Officer Manuel Cadinha, who died in 1918; Officer William “Red” Oili, who died in 1936; Officer Ronald “Shige” Jitchaku; who died in 1990; and Officer Kenneth Keliipio, who died in 1997.

Police Chief Harry Kubojiri noted that a similar ceremony recently was hosted in Honolulu to honor 65 law enforcement officers statewide, including the four from Hawaii Island, who made the ultimate sacrifice serving and protecting the public. He said the Big Island’s memorial “was made possible only through the countless number of people who selflessly volunteered their time and worked tirelessly over the course of the past two decades, holding numerous fundraising events to raise the necessary moneys to make this memorial a reality.”

Kubojiri acknowledged Jitchaku’s sister, Momi Cazimero, “for having the vision, the commitment and perseverance that made Ka Malu Aloha materialize.”

Mayor Billy Kenoi added Cazimero’s “advocacy, commitment, love, compassion and aloha made it impossible to tell her no whenever she needed something.”

“And if you’ve ever worked with Aunty Momi, you know that ‘no’ is not in her vocabulary,” Kenoi said.

Cazimero spent more than two decades raising funds, seeking a location and going through designs before the monument designed by architect Clarence Miyamoto became a reality.

“My father, Matsutaru Jitchaku, endorsed his beneficiary check for $100,000. … He handed it to me and said, ‘Go build your brother’s memorial,’” Cazimero said. “In 2012, many years later, it was still an unfulfilled mission. My friend, Barry Taniguchi, introduced me to Chief Harry Kubojiri. After meeting to discuss the project with the chief and his administrative staff, the chief brought us here and offered me this parcel for the monument.”

Cazimero said the memorial “fulfills the community’s obligation to fallen officers who paid the ultimate price for peace with their life” and called it “a group hug in perpetuity.”

“The extended rock walls represent the open arms of the people. And the central granite memorial stone represents the spirits of the officers who made the ultimate sacrifice,” she said. “Professor Puakea Nogelmeier of (the University of Hawaii at Manoa) helped to name the memorial ‘Ka Malu Aloha’ — the shelter of aloha. And he added this interpretation: As the police in their lives shelter us with aloha, we now shelter their memory with our aloha.”

Wil Okabe, Gov. David Ige’s East Hawaii liaison, said the memorial is “not just (for) the four officers that we recognize on these walls, it’s also for the ultimate sacrifices of the families.”

Kubojiri told the officers present the memorial “is a visual reminder for each and every one of you to always remain vigilant and stay safe.”

“To see it here in Hilo just touches me so much and the meaning is just so perfect,” Raynette Taketa, Oili’s great-granddaughter said after the ceremony. “I’m just so thankful and very emotional. It’s very touching.”

Marcia Johansen, Jitchaku’s daughter and Cazimero’s niece, said she’s gratified the long-envisioned memorial came to fruition.

“It’s nice to see that it’s here,” she said. “Aunty worked on it for the last 26 years.”

The tribute also included a 21-gun salute, “Taps” and a candle-lighting ceremony in memory of the fallen officers.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.