For his dedication to seeking out ways to enhance community relations, Community Policing Officer Dwayne Sluss was awarded the Officer of the Month award for October 2021 by the Kona Crime Prevention Committee during a ceremony at the Kona Police Station on Friday, October 22.
A 10-year veteran of the department, Officer Sluss has spearheaded a wide range of events and programs to benefit the west Hawaii community during his first year as a Community Policing Officer.
In September, Officer Sluss organized the first-ever “Fill a Cruiser” event in collaboration with Costco Kona and the Hawai‘i Island Food Bank. The successful event resulted in 4,053 pounds of food and $1,381 in monetary donations being donated to the Food Bank to help feed our local community.
In June, he initiated 24 abandoned vehicle cases. By taking a proactive approach, Officer Sluss was able to help reduce these eyesores to the community, which are also a hazard to the environment. Officer Sluss has also been responsible for locating and correcting several problem parking areas where ignored signage or lack thereof created safety hazards for people in the community.
He also organizes Hawai‘i Police Department’s popular monthly “Coffee with A Cop” events in west Hawai‘i. In addition to his regular duties, Officer Sluss is the liaison between HPD and the Kona Drug Court, as well as the Community Policing Section representative for the Hawai’i Island Security & Safety Professionals Association.
Consistently working towards the betterment of the West Hawai‘i community, Officer Sluss is well respected among his peers and community members.
Every month the Kona Crime Prevention Committee honors a police officer in west Hawaii as their Officer of the Month. Officers are nominated by their supervisors from the various police districts and a winner is selected by the KCPC board of directors. All officers selected for Officer of the Month are eligible to be selected as the Kona Crime Prevention Committee’s Officer of the Year.
Pictured: Community Policing Officer Dwayne Sluss and KCPC Board President Barbara Kossow.
