Officer Recognized for Achievements 08/24/00

HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE POLICE CHIEF
PHONE: 961-2244
AUGUST 24, 2000

MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawaii County Council has recognized the head of the Police Department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit for receiving the 2000 Law Enforcement Award from the Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

At its meeting Wednesday (August 23, 2000), the Council presented Sergeant Samuel Jelsma with a certificate in appreciation of his efforts to reduce drunk driving on the Big Island.

The certificate noted that since Jelsma was appointed head of the Traffic Enforcement Unit on May 1, 1999, the number of drunk driving arrests has increased 179 percent.

The certificate also recognized Jelsma for producing a “substantial amount of other traffic arrests and citations.”

Commenting on the award and certificate, Jelsma thanked his superior officers for “letting me run the Traffic Enforcement Unit the way I thought it should be done.”

He also credited his fellow TEU officers for their “aggressive enforcement of our traffic and DUI laws.”

In addition to Jelsma, the unit is comprised of three other officers in East Hawaii and a total of four officers in West Hawaii.

As of August 20 this year, Big Island police had arrested 797 motorists for drunk driving, an increase of 3 percent over the 774 arrested during the same period last year. In all of 1999, there was a record 1,207 DUI arrests, a 17 percent increase over the previous record of 1,056 set in 1998.

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