Officer Charles Caldwell-Kaai was awarded the Officer of the Month award for August 2021 by the Kona Crime Prevention Committee during a luncheon on Wednesday, August 4, in Kailua-Kona.

Officer Caldwell-Kaai, who has been a a solo patrol officer for a little over six months, was recognized for his efforts in locating and arresting a suspect wanted for the theft of tools in Keauhou. With minimal leads in identifying the suspect initially, Officer Caldwell-Kaai and his partner, Officer Trenton Aurello, went above and beyond to help the victim of the stolen tools.  Searching the area by foot, the officers came upon two men who both had active warrants for their arrest. One of the men matched the physical description of the suspect in the tool theft, which had been captured on surveillance video. One man was charged for his warrant while the other was charged for his warrant and felony theft offenses.  Spending hours following lead after lead, Officer Caldwell-Kaai was able to locate almost all of the victim’s stolen tools and return them to him.

Every month the Kona Crime Prevention Committee honors a police officer in west Hawaiʻi as their Officer of the Month. Officers are nominated by their supervisors from the various police districts and a winner is selected by the KCPC board of directors. KCPC holds a monthly luncheon to honor the officer. All officers selected for Officer of the Month are eligible to be selected as the Kona Crime Prevention Committee’s Officer of the Year.

Photo credit: Hawaiʻi County Police Department