South Kohala Sergeant Honored as ‘Officer of the Quarter’

(L-R) Phoebe Bareia, Sergeant Erich Jackson, Kurt Sullivan. PC: HPD.

Sergeant Erich Jackson of the Hawai‘i Police Department has been recognized as Officer of the Quarter for the third quarter of 2019. Jackson was honored on Aug. 9 by the Hawai‘i Island Security and Safety Professionals Association (HISSPA) for outstanding performance as a supervisor and dedication to the community.

Sergeant Jackson is currently assigned to the South Kohala patrol division where he oversees a shift of patrol officers.

Jackson is described as “always active during his shift,” coordinating officers to be proactive in their work ranging from investigations to traffic enforcement.

In particular, Jackson responded to a scene where an individual had forcefully entered an occupied home and barricaded himself inside a bedroom. He used crisis negotiation skills to distract the suspect while officers entered the home and made an arrest without injury or further damage to the property.

Jackson has supervised and coordinated the arrests of numerous suspects considered dangerous, resulting in the seizure of illegal firearms and the recovery of stolen vehicles and illegal drugs. During County fiscal year 2018 to 2019, officers supervised by Jackson have written more than 2,000 citations and tallied 31 arrests for motorists operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant.