Hawaiʻi Police Department
Office of the Chief
Chief Paul K. Ferreira
Phone: (808) 961-2244
Media Release
The Hawaiʻi Aloha Exchange Club’s Officer for June is Officer Jerome Duarte.
Officer Duarte has been a Police Officer with the Hawaiʻi Police Department for over five-and-a-half years and is currently assigned to South Hilo Patrol (previously serving as a Honolulu police officer before his move to the Big Island). He is being honored based on his overall work ethic and the consistency and diligence he demonstrates in apprehending wanted individuals.
A snapshot of Officer Duarte’s consistent proactivity going “above and beyond” is demonstrated during early May with his direct involvement over two days with three separate notable but unrelated arrests.
In one incident in (May), a 42-year old fugitive was charged by Detectives for multiple offenses and his bail set at $187,000. Before the capture orchestrated by Officer Duarte, Hawaiʻi Police Department’s Special Response Team had on two occasions served high-risk search warrants on the fugitives Fern Forest property, however, the suspect had eluded arrest fleeing into the thick foliage before the team was able to make its way to the residence. A sawed-off shotgun and stolen vehicles had been recovered from fugitives property during the service of those search warrants. Officer Duarte’s proactivity directly resulted in taking a dangerous and reckless career criminal off the street without loss of life to any involved.
His proactivity continued into June with another incident highlighted.
On (June 23), Officer Duarte was operating as a Field Training Officer assigned to a newly graduated recruit officer. At approximately 8:00 a.m., Officer Duarte was conducting beat checks of roads surrounding Honoli’ i Beach Park in response to reports of vehicle break-ins occurring in the area when he came upon a male party standing alongside a motorcycle drinking a beer. Officer Duarte stopped and had his recruit officer run checks with dispatch on the bike; upon doing so, discovering the attached license plate was fraudulent.
The 44-year old suspect was arrested for the liquor and vehicle violations, and during the process, a glass pipe with residue was spotted within a backpack. Vice officers were contacted, and through the service of a search warrant, the presence of methamphetamine was confirmed. The defendant was subsequently charged with several offenses and bail set at $5,050.
By his actions, Officer Jerome Duarte continually exemplifies the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s core values of integrity, professionalism, compassion, teamwork, and community satisfaction. In his Field Training Officer capacity, Officer Duarte now strives to develop these same positive traits in an impressionable new officer.
