Hawai‘i County Police Department Officer Jenna Kosinski-Santos was honored with the Hāweo Award.  The award, which was presented by the Council’s Parks and Recreation and Public Safety Committee (PRPSC), recognizes county police and fire department personnel who go above and beyond the call of duty. 

On September 20, 2021, Ka‘ū patrol officers responded to Highway 11, north of the Whittington Beach Park, after a medical alarm company reported to police dispatch that an individual had possibly been stabbed. It was later determined that a single-vehicle traffic collision had occurred and a male individual was inside the vehicle. Extensive checks were conducted however, officers were unable to locate the crash scene.

Continuing to make area checks, Ka‘ū Patrol Officer Kosinski-Santos was nearly one mile away from the reported collision location when she observed two small rocks on the roadway. 
Acting on a hunch, Officer Kosinski-Santos parked her vehicle and made a thorough visual check of the steep shoulder and embankment where she saw an overturned vehicle at the bottom of the embankment. Officers made their way down the embankment and discovered a 93-year-old man within the vehicle, suspended upside down.  He had sustained numerous injuries, most notably a contusion on his head that continued to swell after being extricated from the vehicle. He was transported to  Hilo Medical Center in serious/critical condition where he received medical treatment.

Investigators determined that the vehicle ran off the roadway, flipped over, and came to rest at the bottom of the embankment. From the highway, there was no indication that a car crash had occurred. The overturned vehicle was not visible from the roadway and there were no known witnesses to the incident.

Officer Kosinski-Santos’ decisive actions, spirit of service demonstrates her commitment to the Hawaii Police Department’s core values of integrity, professionalism, compassion, teamwork, and community satisfaction.