News Reader.info

On May 12, 2025, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) Police force held a ‘Coffee with a Cop’ event at the Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic in Kapolei. Other Coffee with a Cop events

will be held at the Community Living Center (CLC) on Wednesday, and at the Spark Matsunaga Ambulatory Care Center on Friday. These events -done during National Police Week- are an

opportunity for Veterans and staff to get to know our VA Police and learn about the work they do.  “National police week was designated as a time for the nation to honor officers who have

fallen in the line of duty,” said Police Lieutenant Malcom Yee, a retired Army Veteran who has been a federal police officer for 25 years. “This week we will hold several events for the

community to get to know us.” VA police have a unique job which is different from police in the community. Unlike members of the community, Veterans have been trained with weapons and may

have taken lives during their service. They possess a higher-than-average likelihood of having Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), and this can make them a challenge to serve in some ways. VA

Police must be at their very best, ready to react quickly to keep Veterans and staff safe.  “VA police are the liaisons between Veterans and the community in some ways,” said Senior Police

Officer William Paez, an Army Veteran who has been a federal police officer for 18 years. “Police officers in the community have less experience with Veterans, and so we have to make sure

that they understand the unique needs of the Veteran population.”  VA Police have a customer service focus. They have what is referred to as a community policing orientation, which means

that they do not simply arrest Veterans if they cause trouble. They look deeper into what services that Veteran needs, and then they figure out the best way to help. Veterans may benefit

most from talking with a psychologist or social worker. They may be homeless and in need of help from the Housing and Urban Development VA Housing Support (HUD-VASH) team. VA police have the

power to arrest Veterans if they need to, but they try to solve problems at the lowest level possible before involving Veterans in the criminal justice system.  “When I worked at Pearl

Harbor there was a Veteran who was causing trouble at the Shoppette several days in a row,” said Senior Police Officer Apisit Wagoner, a Navy Veteran who has served as a federal police

officer for 23 years. “They kept arresting and releasing him, but I wanted to know why. I asked him what was wrong, and he told me that he needed his medication. We were able to get it for

him by contacting the VA, and when I see him around now, he’s fine. He just needed help.” VA has had dedicated police in the mainland since 1971, but VAPIHCS uses private security at most

facilities. The VAPIHCS police force was established to man the new Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic and VA assets on the Tripler Campus, as a starting point. In the future, VAPIHCS plans to expand

the police force to other locations in the Pacific Islands to ensure that all Veterans have access to their services.  “One of the things that is important is the response time,” said

Wagoner. “For the Honolulu Police Force to get here, it might take ten minutes. A lot can happen in ten minutes and having an on-site dedicated police force can save lives.” VA police are

armed, but they are taught to deescalate a situation first. They also wear body cameras which protects police and Veterans from faulty memories or misremembered facts. VA police go through

eight weeks of intensive training to learn how to handle a wide range of situations, and they are focused on providing service with the ICARE Values of Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy,

Respect, and excellence. Let’s all take a moment this week to thank them for the work that they do to protect and serve us all.