Officer of the Year: Randy Morris 09-12-13

Hawaiʻi Police Department
Office of the Chief
Harry S. Kubojiri
Phone 961-2244

Media Release

The Kona Crime Prevention Committee recognized Officer Randy Morris as “Officer of the Year” in a luncheon ceremony Wednesday (September 11) at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.

Morris, a HI-PAL officer in Kona, was honored for an arrest that curtailed a spike in burglaries last year in West Hawaiʻi.

During August and September of 2012, police responded to the rash of burglaries by forming a special task force to identify and locate burglary suspects. Although Morris was not a part of that task force, he made it a point to educate himself about the known suspects. One of them was a 31-year-old man who was also wanted for escape and was considered armed and dangerous.

While Morris was pulling into a gas station on his day off, he recognized the escapee at one of the pumps. He confronted the suspect, who ran away in an attempt to evade capture. Without hesitation, Morris followed and was able to apprehend the suspect after a 50-yard foot chase.

Through continued investigation and with the assistance of the Criminal Investigations Section, Morris was able to recover 22 stolen items. With the suspect in custody, the number of reported residential burglaries in the Kona District decreased by 90 percent.

Morris was named “Officer of the Month” in December for the same incident.

At the awards ceremony Wednesday, Morris thanked God, his wife, the Kona Crime Prevention Committee and his bosses. He also acknowledged his fellow nominees, whom he described as “awesome.”

“We love working in our community,” Morris said. “We love coming to work every day.”

The Kona Crime Prevention Committee is an organization that encourages community involvement in aiding and supporting police in West Hawaiʻi.


This entry was posted in Media Releases. Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
  • Keep your community safe through Crime Stoppers

    Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to any Caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

    The Crime Stoppers TV Program is available on-demand from Nā Leo TV.