‘Top Cop’ a positive force: Pahoa officer credits teamwork for success

A dusty hiker carrying a cane and wearing a faded green safari hat draped in netting gives a friendly wave in the direction of Puna District Patrol Officer Brian Souki.

Souki, driving one of East Hawaii’s ever-present vehicles with the telltale blue light of law enforcement, displays genuine neighborly kindness in return.

But Souki’s job requires a healthy skepticism underlying each such encounter.

Does he know the man? Why is the individual walking along this particular stretch of highway? Does he “belong” here? Or does something seem unusual about the situation?

“It’s really important to be aware of their body language and the environment — especially if you’re alone,” Souki said.

Most individuals he randomly sees during a given shift are law abiding and Souki purposefully connects with people to better know his community. But he also responds to 911 calls that dispatchers in Hilo patch through to the Puna District dispatch center.

Sgt. Charrise Wakita says Souki keeps himself busy and is self-motivated to build upon information he learned in the past.

“He’s able to recognize past people, past activity,” she said. “He’s an outstanding officer.”

Souki credits teamwork between patrol officers, dispatchers, ancillary personnel and officers of rank as essential to policing.

“The majority of our calls are domestic-related,” he says. “The flip side to that, we deal with burglaries, thefts, a relatively fair amount of construction thefts of building materials, houses getting broken into.” As of the end of October, the Puna District had responded to 2,672 dispatch calls so far in 2016.

Calls come in from parents who want their kids counseled by an officer, animal complaints and, toward the end of the day shift, homeowners coming back from work to find items missing from their yards. Sometimes, a seemingly suspicious person might be behaving oddly — but for good reason.

For example, a parent might be waiting, at an odd spot to park, for a school bus to drop off her children if school gets out early.

Every day is different — “it’s an ever-changing job. It doesn’t get boring,” Souki says. The goal during morning briefing, when officers learn the game plan for the day, is to start with a happy group attitude to increase the chances the day will also end happy.

“Whatever goes on, that’s what you bring home to your family,” Souki says.

Between calls, he scans properties in subdivisions, looking for anything out-of-the-ordinary.

Then Souki drives close to a small park where about 10 people of varying ages dawdle. It’s good to let them know they’re being watched, Souki says.

Often, an officer merely driving nearby can prevent crimes of opportunity — and Souki spends much of his time making his presence known.

Souki is part of the “thin blue line” between crime and safety.

He is based at the Pahoa Police Station, part of a crew of about eight officers per shift who patrol from the edge of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to Keaau and Kalapana. A total of 59 uniformed officers provide 24-hour Puna District coverage.

In October, the Hawaii Police Department named Souki its 2016 “Top Cop” (commonly called the officer of the year award).

He also won the 2015 Puna Officer of the Year Award — an internal award that’s not publicized and is voted on internally.

“I think that award means a lot because it’s actually the guys you work with,” said Capt. Samuel Jelsma. He said Souki noticed a suspicious person drop a piece of paper. That paper turned out to be a check that had been ripped up. Souki investigated at the property but reached a dead end. Then, he reached a woman via a phone number on the check.

The woman, who lived in the western U.S., said her sister had some belongings taken from a home in Hawaii. The crime had never been reported. But Souki had by then collected enough evidence for several charges, including theft.

“To solve a crime that had no suspects at that time was remarkable,” Jelsma said.

Pahoa maintains its rough-and-tumble reputation during water-cooler conversations. But the reality on the ground is that reputation is changing, Souki says.

“Back in the day, they called it the wild, wild west,” he says. But, “that was before my time.” He says Pahoa town has evolved.

“It had a reputation before of being rowdy. But it seems like a lot of that has stopped with the efforts of community policing and patrols.”

Even so, a rural and vast beat, with each property often spaced an acre or more apart, carries its own set of challenges.

“A lot of the calls we go to, it’s still dirt roads,” Souki says.

His affable personality shines when he stops to talk with area residents, even when he undertakes the unenviable task of arresting someone.

How he treats that person today often impacts how that same individual responds the next time the two interact, whether it’s at the grocery store or at the scene of an alleged crime. Often, when out in the community, people he has arrested in the past will thank him — and apologize for rudeness, belligerence or unsuccessfully trying to goad Souki into losing his cool.

Jelsma nominated Souki for the award. With the nomination, he gave as examples Souki’s recent work with:

• The recovery of a stolen car.

• The arrest of one suspect, and identification of five others, in a burglary case.

• The arrest of a fugitive in a stolen car and in possession of illegal drugs.

• The foot pursuit and subsequent arrest of a suspect for theft, felony assault and three drug offenses.

Souki has worked out of the Pahoa Police Station for about two years, with nearly a dozen years of service total, including more than five years in vice. Recently, he was assigned to a special-enforcement unit serving Hilo.

“I tell all the new guys, if you want to work with him as a partner, there’s a lot you can learn from him,” said Officer Michael Matsumura, who calls Souki a role model. Matsumura is a military veteran “and I still look up to him.”

Operations clerk Daylynn Kyles calls Souki “amazing.” Most officers who finish a stint with vice take awhile to get back in the swing of things serving as patrol officers. But, she said, “this guy just never even slowed down. He came out of the chute like a racehorse.”

Souki meets colleagues, suspects and crime survivors with a consistent, steady, positive attitude he is well-known for.

As an officer, “people are always watching you, every day with cellphones.” Souki tries hard to project the Police Department in a positive light at all times.

“Sometimes we go up to a car and the kids are yelling, ‘Police!’” he says.

The key is to help youngsters understand that “we’re here to help, yeah?”

“People he comes into contact with regularly, he’s always very respectful to them,” said Officer Shane Hanley.

Officers have formed a peer support group that anyone in the group can call when a particularly emotional turn of events occurs while on duty.

“When children are involved, to me, those are the neglect calls, whether it’s abuse or neglect, just seeing living conditions — it kind of bothers me,” Souki says. “The calls involving young kids we deal with. It’s so much. We deal with it so much, too. We deal with it all the time. You just keep trying to point them, give them the resources, tell them the resources that are available to them.”

Once again, that’s where teamwork comes into play. Although the Top Cop award has his name on it, Souki says he shares the honor.

“It’s really a tribute to everybody. I can’t say it enough about the teamwork,” he says. “When I got the award, in my heart, to me, I accept it on behalf of everybody.”

Email Jeff Hansel at jhansel@hawaiitribune-herald.com.