For his relentless determination in the apprehension of two suspects involved in an array of crimes involving firearms, drugs and a stolen vehicle, Hawaii Police Department Officer Jonathan Rapoza was honored with the Haweo Award during a ceremony March 22 at the County Council chambers in Kona.
For his relentless determination in the apprehension of two suspects involved in an array of crimes involving firearms, drugs and a stolen vehicle, Hawaii Police Department Officer Jonathan Rapoza was honored with the Haweo Award during a ceremony March 22 at the County Council chambers in Kona.
The award was presented by the council’s Parks and Recreation and Public Safety Committee, which recognizes county police and fire department personnel who go above and beyond the call of duty. Haweo, for which this award is named, means to glow or to be radiant.
Rapoza was presented with a lei and a certificate signed by each council member at the ceremony.
As a field training officer in Puna, Rapoza is responsible for the training and evaluation of new police officers, preparing them as they transition to their role as a solo patrol officer.
At the time the incident occurred, Rapoza was training Officer Keaolapule Fessenden-Grace, who had been on the road as a new officer in training less than two months.
The officers responded to a burglary in which a firearm and a vehicle were stolen from a residence. Even though the home’s owner was on vacation on the mainland when the crime occurred, the officers obtained key information from a house sitter as part of their investigation.
After initiating the burglary report, the officers overheard on the police radio about a suspicious vehicle in a subdivision that matched the description of the stolen vehicle they were investigating.
Arriving at the location of the reported suspicious vehicle, Rapoza and Fessenden-Grace found a vehicle disguised to prevent detection and arrested the man and woman who were in the car.
