HPD bestows honors

The Honolulu Police Department honored outstanding officers and civilian workers of 2015 at an awards ceremony last month.

The awards, presented by Chief Louis Kealoha on May 14 at a ceremony at McCoy Pavilion, went to:

» Lieutenant of the Year: David Yomes, Waikiki District, a 32-year veteran. Yomes, who was recently promoted to captain, developed HELP, or Homeless Efforts Led by Police. The initiative identifies homeless individuals and then forwards their information to the Institute for Human Services.

» Reserve Officer of the Year: Howard Meechan, Community Affairs Division, who has been a reserve officer since 1988. Meechan donated 721 volunteer hours to the HPD in 2014. He worked 28 to 92 hours per month, far surpassing the required 20 hours per month. Whether monitoring "hot spots" for car break-ins or directing traffic for holiday parades, Meechan has never missed an assignment, HPD said. He is considered the voice of the reserve officers corps and has been the president of the Keys and Whistles for the past 11 years. When he’s not working for the HPD, he owns and operates Meechan Enterprises.

» Police Parent of the Year: Lt. Phillip Johnson, Narcotics/Vice Division, who is a 24-year veteran. After his wife died from a long illness in 2014, he became primary caretaker for his two daughters, ages 12 and 16, who are honor roll students at Mid-Pacific Institute. Johnson spends much of his time driving them to acting and dance classes and rehearsals. Despite their hectic schedules, the three still find time for surfing, paddleboarding and hiking.

» Civilian Manager/Supervisor of the Year: Ni Yen Ho, Finance Division. As the supervisor of the Budget Section, Ho is responsible for monitoring the daily expenses of the department’s $252 million annual budget. She works with every HPD division, auditors, and the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services to ensure that all monies are accounted for.

» Civilian Employee of the Year: Maria Theresa Comer, Finance Division. Comer has worked as an accountant at the HPD since 2013. In 2014, an audit of the Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area revealed the need to revamp many of the office’s financial procedures. Comer worked with auditors, the agency’s new director, and the executive assistant to correct deficiencies. She met with federal officials, HPD staff and other agencies to develop procedures to track funds, inventory and overtime to ensure compliance with federal standards. Comer was also named by The 200 Club as the HPD’s 2015 Civilian Employee of the Year.

» Citizenship Award: Karen Kahikina, state Department of Transportation highway safety specialist and also the volunteer coordinator for Hawaii’s Drug Recognition Expert and Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement programs. Kahikina is responsible for nearly 150 HPD officers being trained to detect and deter impaired drivers at no cost to the department. Kahikina coordinated several statewide certification and recertification sessions for all four counties. She was also instrumental in modifying a federal grant so that the HPD could purchase a scanning station that creates 3-D diagrams of crash scenes.

» Metropolitan Police Officer of the Year: Ross Borges, Waikiki District and a member of HPD for three years. In a 12-month period, Borges made 424 arrests, issued 833 citations, and generated 651 reports. Borges’ beat includes the Waikiki Beach pavilions, where he issued more than 400 citations for violations of park closure laws, drinking in public and illegal camping. Borges was also named by The 200 Club as the HPD’s 2015 Police Officer of the Year

» Corporal of the Year: Joseph Pagan, Narcotics/ Vice Division, an 18-year veteran. Pagan was directly involved in 332 felony drug and paraphernalia cases, 35 search warrants and 224 arrests.

» Sergeant of the Year: High Shin Lin, Kapolei District, a 14-year veteran. In the 12 months since being assigned as Kapolei District’s administrative sergeant, Lin has computerized the division’s inventory system, coordinated traffic safety grants and handled chronic complaints. He was the department’s liaison for the annual Kapolei City Lights and Christmas Parade and the Arashi concert attended by 30,000 fans from Hawaii and Japan.

» Detective of the Year: Elizabeth Merrill, Waikiki District, who has 16 years of service and is currently assigned to the Waikiki Burglary/Theft Detail. Merrill had 32 out of 35 cases accepted for prosecution in 2014. Last summer, Merrill posed as a flashy, high-rolling tourist who was doling out generous tips. The case initially appeared to be a civil matter. However, Merrill probed deeper and uncovered a second-degree theft, fraudulent credit cards and more. The prosecutor’s office filed a total of five charges in the case.