Police Week Features Dedication of East Hawai’i Memorial

Candles burn during a Police Week ceremony last year in honor of Officers Manuel Cadinha, William “Red” Oili, Ronald “Shige” Jitchaku and Kenneth Keliipio. HPD file photo.

The Hawai’i Police Department will hold a dedication ceremony for its new “Ka Malu Aloha” police memorial as one of several events that will take place during Police Week, a nationally recognized week that recognizes the work of police officers and honors those that have lost their lives or been disabled in the line of duty.

Police Week will be held this year from May 15-21. It coincides with Peace Officers Memorial Day, a holiday that was authorized in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy, which is recognized on May 15.

According to HPD, the ceremony for the new memorial will be held in conjunction with Hilo’s formal Police week ceremony, which will be held on Monday, May 16 at 10 a.m. at the Hilo police station. The memorial, which is adjacent to the East Hawai’i Detention Facility, has been built to remember those who have sacrificed their lives while serving the residents of the Big Island.

During the ceremonies, HPD will honor the life of four officers who lost their lives while serving their communities: Officer Manuel Cadinha, who passed away in 1918, Officer William “Red” Oli, who died in 1936, Officer Ronald “Shige” Jitchaku, who lost his life in 1990, and Officer Kenneth Keliipio, who gave his life in 1997.

In addition to the Hilo ceremony, the Kona police station will hold a memorial on Tuesday, May 17, also at 10 a.m.

Station tours will also be available throughout the island on May 17. Those interested in wanting a tour of any HPD station around the island can contact Officer Jason Grouns at 961-3066.