Volunteers have cleaned up vandalism at the new memorial for Hawaii’s fallen law enforcement offices on the eve of its dedication ceremony.
Authorities said several cyclists left tire tracks along the slanted walls of the monument, with some tracks on the plaques bearing the names of the fallen officers.
The damage upset Honolulu police Maj. Kurt Kendro, who knew several of the 65 officers whose names are listed on the memorial.
“It’s really sad to see that somebody would do this to the memorial even before it was open,” said Kendro. “There’s so many stories on the wall of the people here on the wall that to me, they’re my brothers in law enforcement.”
Hawaii News Now reports that State sheriffs will be patrolling the memorial next to the Kalanimoku Building on the Civic Center grounds.
The memorial, which had been in the works for several years, will be formally dedicated in a ceremony at 6 p.m. Sunday, coinciding with the start of Police Week.