Brave officers
Editor’s note: This letter was submitted before a second officer-involved shooting occurred last week in Hilo.
I want to commend all of the police officers involved in the recent officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of the shooter.
First off, my heartfelt condolences to the Santos family, which lost two family members as a result of this unfortunate incident. The poor choices of the shooter that night resulted in his 91-year-old grandfather also dying as a result of being in the home as all the gunfire was happening, resulting in a fatal heart attack.
The quick actions and fast thinking by all the officers involved prevented this incident from resulting in the loss of more innocent lives. Their courage led to the truly courageous actions that kept more people from being harmed.
Unfortunately, incidents like this are becoming more prevalent, making law enforcement an increasingly dangerous profession on our island and in our state.
Our citizens are being exposed to much more violent crime and are more in need of law enforcement than ever.
Even more unfortunate are recent actions by some of the public and our political leaders. In particular, the decision by Honolulu prosecutor Steve Alm to override the grand jury and charge three police officers with murder while engaged in a dangerous pursuit of several youth on a crime spree is particularly disturbing.
It must be easy to judge the actions of our warriors out on the street while sitting in an air-conditioned office dressed in a suit. The very courtroom where Alm will try this case is safe because there is an armed guard ensuring that he is not harmed by an aggressor. The gun that he wears is there for a reason.
While we should definitely prosecute egregious police brutality, this trend toward anti-police sentiment is very dangerous.
What would happen in this latest incident on our island if the officer hesitated for fear of being charged with murder and possibly going to jail? Our officers don’t need to deal with these kinds of fears on top of every other fear they must overcome to take the necessary actions at a dangerous crime scene.
I shudder to think what our community and world will be like when there are no more brave men and women willing to be police officers.
Chaplain Renee Godoy
Hawaii Police Department chaplain
‘No benefits’
So sad to know that dancers did not perform before a live audience during the Merrie Monarch Festival.
When one watches the news on TV, we see full stadiums watching baseball games and indoor concerts with thousands of fans, yet here we are in Hawaii, still locked down.
It’s really easy. Tickets could have been sold to the Merrie Monarch on a first-come, first-served basis, with vaccine cards required.
Sports events and other performances could take place, as well.
Yes, I know that young children are not yet able to get vaccines, but anyone over the age of 12 should be able to have advantages for having taken the vaccine.
I’ve been fully vaccinated for two months, but so far have seen absolutely no benefits for having done so. No wonder people have stopped getting the vaccine.
Instead of offering drawings for prizes people know they probably won’t win, why not just start having events only for the vaccinated? Once people see that opportunity, they will all get in line. There is still time.
Colleen Otani
Hilo