Four Hawaii Police Department officers were recently honored as officers of the month, including one for saving the life of a man who had been stabbed.
Just one week after the Hawaii Police Department received tourniquets as part of a grant from the Spirit of the Blue Foundation, Sgt. Ryan Pagan administered a tourniquet to save the life of a Puna man who had been stabbed multiple times.
On Sept. 4, Pagan was first on the scene, finding the victim, a 29-year-old man who was bleeding heavily from his right forearm just above his wrist and was feeling light-heated and dizzy from blood loss. Acting swiftly, Pagan applied lifesaving measures and stopped the bleeding by using the tourniquet. The victim was transported to Hilo Medical Center by Hawaii Fire Department personnel and subsequently recovered.
The use of the tourniquet came a week after the life-saving equipment had been distributed to police officers. The department received 442 tourniquets and holsters from the Spirit of the Blue Foundation in July 2020. Pagan was one of two department instructors tasked with conducting training on the new equipment islandwide. He has since transferred to the Administrative Division, Police Recruit Training section.
On Jan, 22, the Kona Crime Prevention Committee during a ceremony at the Kona Police Station honored Officer Travis Wong was recognized as Officer of the Month for October 2020, Officer Johnathan Masutani as Officer of the Month for November 2020, and Officer Jenna Kosinski-Santos as Officer of the Month for December 2020.
Wong was honored for his response to a report of a disturbance at Kona Shopping Center last year, where he discovered a man wielding a bat and ramming his vehicle into another car. After quickly apprehending the suspect, Wong discovered that the man was involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend and was threatening bystanders with a bat when they tried to intervene on the woman’s behalf. The man was charged with multiple offenses and pleaded guilty to terroristic threatening and attempted abuse.
Masutani was recognized for a routine traffic stop last year in Keauhou that resulted in the discovery of drug paraphernalia and several other drug-related items in the course. The suspect, who told the officer he was selling fake methamphetamine, was arrested on multiple drug offenses.
Kosinski-Santos was honored for proactive policing in areas with high traffic accidents and safety concerns. Most notably, she was recognized for responding to a fatal traffic crash near her home while off-duty. After determining the victim was deceased, she immediately blocked off the area, and rerouted traffic until other units arrived.