Kona officer of month honored

The Kona Crime Prevention Committee recognized Officer Dwayne Sluss as “Officer of the Month” for June in a luncheon ceremony Wednesday, June 5 at Huggo’s restaurant in Kailua-Kona. Sluss was honored for his investigation of a theft case that resulted in charges for 23 criminal offenses.

In February, Sluss was assigned to a report of a theft of a wallet from a purse that had been left momentarily unattended at a laundromat in Kona. He determined that one of the victim’s credit cards had been used to make unauthorized purchases at businesses in the Kailua-Kona area. Sluss immediately responded to every business at which the unauthorized purchases were made, spoke to witnesses, recovered video surveillance and identified two suspects who were responsible for all the unauthorized transactions.

A few days after initiating this investigation, Sluss was off duty and shopping at a store when he saw one of the suspects stealing merchandise. He notified the store manager and confronted the suspect. Further investigation connected the suspect to the unauthorized credit card transactions. As a result, two suspects are awaiting criminal prosecution for 23 offenses, including felony charges related to credit card theft, identity theft and forgery offenses.

Sgt. Akira Edmoundson, who nominated Sluss for the honor, said that Sluss has been a Kona patrolman for about two years. Between March 2012 and February 2013, Edmoundson said, Sluss investigated 189 incidents, 28 traffic accidents and 273 miscellaneous public complaints. He made 40 adult arrests and led the Kona district by issuing 665 traffic citations.

“He has proven to be an asset to the Hawaii Police Department and the community,” Edmoundson said.

As “Officer of the Month,” Sluss is eligible for “Officer of the Year.”

The Kona Crime Prevention Committee is an organization that encourages community involvement in aiding and supporting police in West Hawaii.