HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE POLICE CHIEF
PHONE: 961-2244
MAY 26, 2000
MEDIA RELEASE
Sergeant Samuel Jelsma of the Hawaii County Police Department has been recognized by the statewide Mothers Against Drunk Driving as the recipient of its 2000 Law Enforcement Award.
Jelsma, head of the Traffic Enforcement Unit, was recognized for his campaign against drunk driving.
Kathryn Nelson, state president of MADD, wrote: “The Law Enforcement Award is given annually to individuals who demonstrate exemplary service in detecting and apprehending suspected drunk drivers.”
Jelsma will receive the award at the organization’s 16th annual celebration meeting on Wednesday (May 31, 2000) in Honolulu.
Since Jelsma took over as head of the Traffic Enforcement Unit on May 1, 1999, the unit has increased the number of drunk driving arrests by 179 percent. From May 1, 1999, through May 1, 2000, the unit — consisting of one sergeant and six officers — made 251 DUI arrests, compared to 90 during the same period the previous year.
As a Puna patrol officer in 1998, Jelsma amassed an impressive number of drunk driving arrests in his district, accounting for 102, or 53.7 percent, of the 190 DUI arrests that year. His arrests accounted for 9.7 percent of the 1,056 DUI arrests islandwide. In addition, he produced a combined total of 280 other traffic arrests or citations.
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