Media release | Hawaii County Police Department

The Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawai’i recognized Officer Shawn Matsuda on Thursday (March 24) as “Officer of the Month” for February.

Matsuda, a Puna patrol officer, was honored for what his supervisor described as “diligence and determined efforts” that led to the recovery of a stolen pickup truck.

In December, Matsuda responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the Eden Roc subdivision. When he arrived, he found that a young man had requested help from a resident in repairing a flat tire on the pickup truck he was driving. The truck was registered to a car dealership, which was closed at that hour.

Although the car hadn’t been reported stolen, Matsuda knew the suspect had a criminal record and was suspicious of his explanation for why it was in his possession. Further investigation determined that the truck had been unlawfully removed from the dealership after it closed for the day.

Matsuda recovered the truck and arrested the driver.

“As a result of Officer Matsuda’s dedication to duty, resourcefulness and attention to detail,” said Sergeant Juergen Canda, who nominated the officer for the award, “a vehicle valued at $27,999 was located, recovered and returned to a business—before it was even reported stolen.”

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

The East Hawaii “Officer of the Month” award is a project of the Aloha Exchange Club of Hilo.