Hundreds of police officers lined South Beretania Street fronting the Honolulu Police Department’s headquarters Saturday to send off the department’s 46th sworn officer killed on duty.
A white hearse carried solo bike officer Chad Morimoto’s casket through the streets. A squadron of solo bike officers followed.
"Command council to officer Chad Morimoto, Badge No. 2987," said dispatch Supervisor Harold Naone over the police radio in an islandwide simulcast as the procession reached headquarters. "This is your final roll call. Make your 10-1 (return to station), sir. I show you end of watch, July 23, 2012, at 12:34 hours.
"Mahalo nui loa for your commitment and dedication to public service," Naone continued. "Aloha oe."
Morimoto, 39, died July 23 after his motorcycle apparently slid from under him during a VIP escort training exercise in Mililani.
He was the third officer to die in less than 11 months.
"All of them had real bright futures in the department," said Lt. Bert Murakami, of the training academy, who got to know Morimoto during workouts at the academy. "It shows the reality of the job that anything can happen on any given day."
Tenari Maafala, president of the police union, said officers were struggling with the loss of officers Eric Fontes and Garret Davis, who died in traffic crashes within the last year, when Morimoto was killed.
"We even didn’t have a chance to recoup yet, but here we are again," Maafala said. "On behalf of the family and the department, I just want to thank the people of Hawaii for the continued support."
He said better training may come out of an investigation into Morimoto’s crash.
"It’s something that nobody could foresee," he said. "We train hard, we train properly and the bottom line is there’s always room for better training."
He recalled Morimoto as a "prankster" who would call him the "union guy" and tease him about getting a million-dollar pay raise.
Many remembered Morimoto as a good guy and family-oriented man who was always smiling.
"You always wanted to be around him; (he was) someone that always had your back," said Ed Duncan, 44, who was a solo bike officer with Morimoto.
Pacer Tsuji, 39, of Kahaluu grew up with Morimoto on Maui before they both moved to Oahu. He said Morimoto gave him the support and confidence to try new things, such as break dancing when they were young.
"He got me through a lot of stuff that way," he said. "When you needed someone to talk to, he was always there. Just a guy you can always count on."
He said Morimoto touched a lot of people, including those he worked with and those he came into contact with.
Morimoto was the first person to greet Bryce Tano, 29, and Makee Tano, 33, about two years ago when they joined the Salt Lake congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints.
"We didn’t even know who he was," Tano said. "He was always smiling, super-easy to talk to. We felt like he was our best friend."
Morimoto, who leaves a wife, a daughter and a son, was buried at Hawaiian Memorial Park.
