An officer whose diligent investigative work led to the recovery of a handgun brought by a student to Kealakehe High School was honored Wednesday as Februarys Officer of the Month.
An officer whose diligent investigative work led to the recovery of a handgun brought by a student to Kealakehe High School was honored Wednesday as February’s Officer of the Month.
Officer Adam Cho’s recognition by the Kona Crime Prevention Committee follows his Sept. 15, 2019, investigation of a gun found on the Kealakehe High School campus.
Cho discovered a teenage male student brought the handgun to school and had it in the waist of his pants, showing it off to other students. The student then handed the gun over to another male student who went into the locker room and pointed the gun at another student.
The gun was later recovered in bushes by the school.
Cho and Juvenile Aid Section detectives were able to arrest three males who had been in possession of the firearm. The father of the student who brought the gun to school was also arrested for various firearm violations.
“I don’t think he understood how much trouble he would be in. He thought it was a joke — just for fun,” said Cho of the student who brought the firearm to school.
Sgt. David Araki, who nominated Cho, said he the officer is a great benefit to the community.
“He put in a lot of time and effort making sure it doesn’t happen again and everyone is safe,” said Araki. “He displayed a high level of determination to identify and apprehend the individuals responsible for creating fear and anxiety throughout the school.”
For 35 years, the Kona Crime Prevention Committee has been honored outstanding police officers through its Officer of the Month and Officer of the Year awards. Cho will be eligible for the 2020 Officer of the Year
Cho, who attended Kealakehe High School and served three tours in Iraq with U.S. Army, joined the department in June 2015. He has now been named Officer of the Month three times.
