Hawai’i Police Department
Office of the Chief
Police Chief Paul K. Ferreira
Phone: (808) 961-2244
Officer of the Month for October Officer Joseph Passmore with club member Joey Estrella
Media Release
Officer Joseph Passmore, (an 11-year police veteran), has been named as the Aloha Exchange Club’s October Officer of the Month. The award is based on the compassion and professional commitment he demonstrated in assisting a family who experienced a tragic house fire.
On (September 9), Officer Passmore responded to a residential fire in a Volcano subdivision, and upon arrival, he observed a house completely engulfed in flames. He immediately approached to determine if anyone was still in residence and subsequently located two young children and a male adult in an ambulance nearby. He learned the children had escaped the fire uninjured. However, the father had been severely burned. He was rushed to the hospital and later flown to the Straub Burn Center on Oahu, where he succumbed to his injuries within the following weeks.
Having lost all their possessions with no place to stay, Officer Passmore immediately offered to take the mother and children to his own home to stay with his family. Officer Passmore assisted the traumatized mother in arranging a more permanent place for the family to stay and have their needs met.
This selfless act of compassion and caring is indicative of the character and integrity of an officer who will take the extra step in helping a family in their hour of need, and is the highest example of Aloha.
