Hawaiʻi Police Department
Office of the Chief
Harry S. Kubojiri
Phone: 961-2244
August 3, 2011
Media Release
The Kona Crime Prevention Committee recognized Officer Paul Mangus as “Officer of the Month” for August in a luncheon ceremony on Wednesday (August 3) at Huggo’s restaurant in Kailua-Kona.
Mangus, a school resource officer, was honored for immediately investigating a report of child abuse he received while at Kealakehe Intermediate School. When Mangus and other officers responded to the child’s house, they found the injured child with evidence that he had been bound and whipped.
The boy’s mother and her boyfriend were both arrested and charged with numerous offenses, including assault, endangering the welfare of a minor, unlawful imprisonment and abuse of a family/household member.
Detective Renee Morinaka, who nominated Mangus for the award, said the officer’s actions “saved this child from further abuse and possibly saved his life.”
As “Officer of the Month,” Mangus is eligible to become “Officer of the Year.”The Kona Crime Prevention Committee is an organization that encourages community involvement in aiding and supporting police in West Hawaiʻi.