Benefit, final salute will honor fallen officer

A series of events this week will commemorate the life of Honolulu police officer Garret Davis, who was killed last month when his patrol car was rear-ended on the H-1 freeway while he stopped to assist two motorists in a disabled car.

A scholarship fundraiser for Davis’ daughter will be held at Chai’s Island Bistro Monday night. Funeral services will take place Tuesday. The Honolulu Police Department will also conduct a final salute ceremony at its South Beretania Street headquarters on Wednesday.

Davis, 28, lived in Mililani and was a member of the Central Oahu Patrol District.

Family members said it was the lifelong dream of Davis, who grew up in Northern California, to become a police officer, and he was able to achieve it when he came to Hawaii and joined HPD just over three years ago.

Sgt. James Kinney, one of Davis’ supervisors at the Wahiawa substation, recalled a young man who adapted easily to his surroundings, never grumbled, and quickly made friends in his new job and his new island home.

"He didn’t have any family here but he thoroughly enjoyed being here," Kinney said.

Kinney recalled that, in 2010, Davis rode on a personal watercraft with lifeguards two miles out to sea to persuade a distraught woman to return to shore. What no one besides Davis knew at the time was that he could not swim.

"It took guts," Kinney said.

For his actions, HPD awarded him a certificate of merit.

On the night he was killed, the two people in the stalled car in the left lane of H-1 that Davis stopped to help "were sitting ducks," Kinney said. "Those folks were in need of a guardian angel and Garret showed up."

The tragedy and heartache officers are exposed to can get them down, but that was not the case with Davis, friends said.

Officer Cory Moore, Davis’ best friend in Hawaii, said that while police officers tend to love their job, Davis took it a step further.

"I don’t think I ever saw him mad or upset," Moore said.

Even with a complex case involving hours of work, Moore said, Davis would dive into it and urge others, "Let’s get it done."

Officer Jeff Trausch of HPD’s 161st recruit class recalled that nothing could get his classmate Davis down.

"Even when we were getting yelled at, he was in the back cheering everybody on," Trausch said.

Monday’s fundraiser will be held from 5 to 10 p.m. at The Waterfront at Aloha Tower. Food is being provided by Chai Island’s Bistro. Entertainment will include the Makaha Sons, Ho‘okena, Del Beazley, Natalie Ai Kamauu, Kawika Kahiapo and A Touch of Gold.

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at Chai’s, and also at all branches of the Hawaii Law Enforcement Federal Credit Union.

Davis, who was born in Toledo, Ohio, is survived by his daughter, Mackenzie, mother, Rhonda, and sister, Amanda Stevens.

Services for Davis will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Borthwick Mortuary.

Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Condolences can be submitted online at www.borthwickoahu.com.

Wednesday’s final salute is scheduled to run from about 1 to 1:15 p.m., momentarily shutting Beretania Street between Ward Avenue and Alapai Street.