Hawaiʻi Police Department
Office of the Chief
Acting Chief Marshall Kanehailua
Phone: 961-2261
Officer Aaron Kaleo, Officer Jason Grouns and Major James O'Connor talk to shoppers below while perched on the roof of the Hilo Wal-Mart to raise cash and awareness for Special Olympics Hawaiʻi.
Media Release
Officers from the Hawaiʻi Police Department have been on top of Wal-Mart stores in both Hilo and Kona since 6 a.m. Friday (September 28) to support Special Olympics Hawaiʻi.
The goal during the fund raising project is to stay up there around the clock until 2 p.m. Sunday (September30) while other officers and Special Olympics athletes collect donations at ground level.
Police are spending their off-duty time perched on the roof at the Hilo Wal-Mart store and atop 14-foot scaffolding at the Kona Wal-Mart store, eating, sleeping and raising community awareness for Special Olympics Hawaiʻi. Since its inception, Hawaiʻi’s law enforcement agencies have raised more than $1.6 million through their “Cop on Top” efforts.
The Special Olympics, modeled after the Olympic Games, provide a year-round program of training and competitive sports for physically or mentally challenged athletes.
This is the ninth year the Hawaiʻi Police Department is participating in this event, which includes participation from law enforcement officers at the county, state and federal levels statewide.