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Video courtesy of Hawaii County Police Department

MEDIA RELEASE

Members of the Hawaiʻi Police Department and the public celebrated Police Week on Monday (May 14) at the Hilo police station.

A 21-gun salute, “Taps” and a candle-lighting ceremony were part of the tribute to the four Hawaiʻi Police Department officers killed in the line of duty since 1918. They are Manuel Cadinha (1918), William “Red” Oili (1936), Ronald “Shige” Jitchaku (1990), and Kenneth Keliipio (1997).

In an outdoor ceremony, Hawaiʻi County Managing Director William Takaba read a mayoral proclamation declaring May 13-18 as Police Week in the County of Hawaiʻi and May 15 as Police Officers Memorial Day.

Chief Harry Kubojiri told the audience that Police Week ceremonies are taking place this week at police departments all across America—including one in in the nation’s capital attended by approximately 25-thousand law enforcement officers. “In size, that event is more massive than ours,” Kubojiri said, “but in sentiment, ours is equally grand.”

The chief noted that he never knew Officers Cadinha and Oili, but said both Jitchaku and Keliipio were his co-workers who laughed with him one day and were gone the next. “I still miss them and I know many of you do, too,” he chief said. “We can only begin to imagine the loss their families still feel.”

The chief added that Police Week also honors officers injured in the line of duty, noting that 61 Big Island officers were hurt on the job last year. He thanked his officers for working to make the Big Island communities safe and said he prays that each one returns home safely to their their loved ones at the end of each workday.

A similar ceremony will be held Thursday (May 17) in Kona.

From Governor Neil Abercrombie

HONOLULU – In observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, Governor Neil Abercrombie has ordered that all national and Hawai’i flags at state offices and agencies as well as the Hawai’i National Guard are to be flown at half-staff on Tuesday, May 15, 2012.

President Barack Obama today issued a proclamation declaring May 15, 2012, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 13 through May 19, 2012, as Police Week. The presidential proclamation called upon all governors to direct that the U.S. flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day, and further encouraged all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes and businesses on that day.

“We can never fully measure nor repay the debt owed to those brave and dedicated members of our community who have chosen to wear the badge,” Governor Abercrombie said. “The people of Hawai’i remember the selflessness and courage of our law enforcement officers and their families, not just during Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, but every day, as it is every day that these valiant men and woman must report to work throughout the state to protect us and make our neighborhoods safer.

“Let us also take time to remember those we have lost in the line of duty. We have an obligation to support their loved ones and ensure that their service and sacrifice will never be taken for granted.”

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FBI Honors Law Enforcement’s Sacrifices

MEDIA RELEASE

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which it falls as National Police Week. This year, as thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world gather in Washington, D.C. to honor colleagues who have made the ultimate sacrifice, the FBI joins with the rest of the country in paying tribute as well.

The week’s events began Sunday evening with a candlelight vigil held at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The names of 362 fallen officers were read aloud, to be added to the nearly 20,000 other names permanently etched into the memorial’s walls.

The event was underscored by a preliminary report that showed 72 law enforcement officers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2011 and 50 were killed accidentally. The FBI will release final statistics this fall in the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s publication, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2011.

“These men and women place the safety and security of others above their own,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in remarks delivered at Sunday’s ceremony. “When facing uncertain dangers and confronting unpredictable threats, they consistently respond with courage, selflessness, and strength. And every day — in communities nationwide — their contributions are felt and deeply appreciated.”

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller recognized officers for putting their lives on the line every day. “The FBI is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement colleagues as we continue our work together to protect our families and our communities,” he said.

Also Monday, Mueller presided over a memorial service at FBI Headquarters to honor those lost from the FBI family, including two agents who passed away last year. Among the attendees were former FBI Directors Louis Freeh, William Sessions, and William Webster.

Mueller said fallen officers and agents leave behind an enduring legacy and through their sacrifice set a standard for which we are forever grateful.

“Though their stories are different, they shared much in common,” Mueller said. “They shared a devotion to service — service to the FBI, service to their communities, and service to our country. They shared a commitment to justice and to the rule of law. And they shared remarkable bravery.”