This year’s National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day hit particularly hard in Hawaii as two Honolulu police officers, shot and killed Jan. 19 in the line of duty, continue to be remembered for their sacrifice.

Flags are flying half-staff across the state today, and the Honolulu Police Department’s Alapai headquarters as well as the FBI’s Kapolei headquarters are lit in blue, as are Honolulu Hale and other buildings.

Although HPD canceled police week events because of social distancing measures due to COVID-19, officers Tiffany Enriquez and Kaulike Kalama are remembered for their service by law enforcement and the greater community.

“They’re never forgotten,” State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO) President Malcolm Lutu said.

The pair likely will be honored in the 2021 National Police Week held in Washington, D.C., and SHOPO will help the families attend, he said.

“We would like representation from their families just so they can see how much support they have nationwide,” Lutu said. In 2019 SHOPO helped the parents of Hawaii County Officer Bronson Kaliloa, fatally shot during a traffic stop, attend the national ceremony.

A small ceremony will be held today at the main station to present Enriquez’s daughter, Jazmyn, who is graduating from Campbell High School, with a graduation card and monetary gift, taken up by fellow officers.

The officers wanted to do more, following in the tradition that began a year or two ago with the daughter of officer Steve Favela, who died in a 2006 motorcycle accident during a presidential motorcade. When she graduated high school, hundreds of officers attended, but that couldn’t happen with social distancing restrictions.

Officers will continue the tradition for Kalama’s son when he graduates in the future, Lutu said.

SHOPO officers were preparing to present a total of about $300,000 collected for the families of the two officers, but COVID-19 struck, Lutu said. He expects that to occur in a couple of weeks as restrictions begin to lift.

Kalama and Enriquez were among the first officers to respond to 911 calls for an assault when handyman Jerry Hanel, 69, attacked a woman in a Diamond Head neighborhood. He then shot and killed the responding officers.

Police think Hanel killed his landlady, 77-year-old Lois Cain, inside the house at 3015 Hibiscus Drive.

The shooting may have set off ammunition stored inside, resulting in a conflagration that destroyed several homes and damaged others in the neighborhood.

Hanel and Cain’s remains were found amid the ashes.

In 1962 President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the calendar week in which it falls as National Police Week.

Hawaii (County) Police Department said in a news release that in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, “we did not invite guests or the family members of our fallen heroes to a formal ceremony this year. This was a very tough decision, but we believe it is the right one.”

Instead, Police Chief Paul Ferreira and his upper command staff held a private ceremony at the “Ka Malu Aloha” police memorial wall in Hilo, to pay tribute to Kaliloa, killed July 18, 2018, and others dating back to 1918.

Gov. David Ige ordered the state and U.S. flags to fly at half-staff at the state Capitol and other state buildings to commemorate the event.

U.S. Attorney Kenji Price said, “Our law enforcement officers work day-in and day-out to protect the public and, in doing so, sacrifice their own safety and the well-being of their family members and loved ones.”

“These heroes — who daily put the community’s interests above their own — deserve our highest praise for their bravery, professionalism, and commitment to the community. In the Aloha State, those who don the uniform and protect us are truly among the finest in our midst.”