Big Island police honor fallen officers

By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

HILO, Hawai'i — The Hawai'i County Police Department paused Wednesday to honor three of its officers who have died in the line of duty.

The memorial service in the courtyard of the Public Safety Building was part of the 42nd annual Police Week held nationally in honor of police officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.

The officers were Officer Manuel Cadinha, who died in 1918; Officer Ronald "Shige" Jitchaku, who was killed in 1990; and Officer Kenneth Keliipio, who died in 1997.

Horace Hara, chairman of the police commission, said there is "always a danger that an officer can be injured or killed protecting us in a world of drugs and crime."

Members of the Cadinha and Keliipio families then lit candles in memory of the officers who died in the line of duty. During the 11 a.m. ceremony, police lowered the U.S. and Hawai'i state flags to half-staff in honor of fallen law enforcement officers.

The ceremony was one of two held for Peace Officers' Memorial Day. An earlier memorial service was held at 9:30 a.m. at the Glad Tidings Church in Hilo.

The week of May 10 to 16 was proclaimed Police Week in honor of the more than 14,000 law enforcement officers nationwide who gave their lives in the line of duty.

For the rest of Police Week, police exhibits are on display in the Traffic Services Section of the Hilo police headquarters and in the public parking lot fronting the building.

Police stations on the Big Island are open this week for conducted public tours. Anyone interested in scheduling a tour of a police station should call Officer Dexter Veriato of the Community Relations Section at (808) 961-2264.

Reach Kevin Dayton at (808) 935-3916 or kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com.