Police Holding Kupuna Watch Meetings in Hōlualoa and Waimea This Week

The Hawaiʻi Police Department will host two Kupuna Watch meetings this week in west Hawai‘i, one in Hōlualoa and one in Waimea.

South Kohala Community Policing officers will hold a Kupuna Watch meeting on Wednesday, August 26, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Lily Yoshimatsu Senior Center, 67-1199 Mamalahoa Highway, Waimea. Officers with the Kona Community Policing Section will hold their next monthly Kupuna Watch meeting on Friday, August 28, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., at the Kona Imin Center, 76-5877 Old Government Road in Hōlualoa.

Kupuna Watch is an outreach program in partnership with the County of Hawaiʻi Department of Parks and Recreation’s Elderly Activities Division. These free monthly meetings provide an opportunity for officers to engage with kūpuna directly during their regularly scheduled activities at various County facilities in west Hawai‘i.

During these sessions, officers discuss crime and traffic trends, the importance of reporting elder abuse, as well as ways to identify and prevent financial and internet crimes. In addition to Community Policing Officers, each monthly meeting features personnel from different areas of the police department to explain their particular areas of expertise.

The goal is to strengthen trust, promote safety, and build positive relationships through direct, face-to-face interaction. For more information on the Hōlualoa meeting, please contact Kona Community Policing Section Sergeant Wyattlane Nahale at (808) 326-4646, ext. 259. For more information on the Waimea Kupuna Watch meeting, please contact the Waimea Police Station, (808) 887-3080.