Hawaiʻi Police Department
Office of the Chief
Chief Paul K. Ferreira
Phone: (808) 961-2244
Media Release
The East Hawaiʻi Aloha Exchange Club has named Officer Derek Kenison as the “Officer of the Month” for November.
Officer Kenison, an 8-year veteran with the Hawaiʻi Police Department, was nominated by Lieutenant Scott Amaral for his role in identifying a suspect who was wanted for an extradition warrant from Mississippi for Kidnapping, and for the successful delivery of the child to the proper agency.
On November 12, 2019, a 41-year-old Mississippi man reported fleeing to the State of Hawaiʻi with his 5-year-old daughter, after alleged incidents involving his estranged wife that occurred in Mississippi, which caused him to fear for his safety and that of their daughter. At the time of the report, a check with the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) was conducted and it was found that the 41-year-old man was not wanted in Mississippi.
Officer Kenison removed the child from the custody of her father and placed her into protective custody with the State of Hawaiʻi Child Welfare Services while the investigation was initiated.
Upon going home for the evening, due to a lingering “gut feeling” that something was amiss, Officer Kenison “Googled” the child’s mothers name, and found that there were several news articles saying the child was missing from Hinds County Mississippi, but not declared officially missing by law enforcement.
Upon Officer Kenison checking NCIC on November 13, 2019, he found that there was now a recently updated full extradition warrant for the 41-year-old Mississippi man for Parental Kidnapping of his daughter, which was issued by Hinds County Mississippi.
Officer Kenison informed the Hawaiʻi Police Department Area I Juvenile Aid Section of the full extradition warrant, and kept in close contact with the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office throughout the process of Juvenile Aid Detectives obtaining the required documentation to extradite the Mississippi man, who was later arrested for the extradition warrant.
By trusting his instincts, and because of his investigative skills and through his use of resources available to him, Officer Kenison was able to successfully rescue a kidnapped child, and ensure that the responsible was brought to justice.
