Darla Abbatiello is the type of police officer a community can love. The 11-year veteran of Kaua’i County’s Police Department is among a select group of law enforcement professionals in the U.S. who will receive awards from the National Association
Darla Abbatiello is the type of police officer a community can love.
The
11-year veteran of Kaua’i County’s Police Department is among a select group of
law enforcement professionals in the U.S. who will receive awards from the
National Association of Police Organizations during a ceremony Aug. 5 in
Washington, D.C. She’ll also receive a similar commendation from the Hawaii
State Law Enforcement Officials Association.
The awards go along with
Abbatiello’s selection as the county’s top cop of 1999, so her stellar work is
no secret on the island—especially among residents of Waimea and Kekaha, where
the Neighborhood Watch programs she helped form are as popular as she is among
residents.
Abbatiello’s superiors in the police department speak glowingly
of her community policing. They note how she immerses herself in the
neighborhoods and business areas she patrols, to the point she calls older
ladies “auntie” and is a virtual pied-piper for children.
Her impact on
youngsters and the rest of the public is crucial to lowering any walls of
misunderstanding between citizens and their police.
For that reason and
others, Abbatiello richly deserves her new celebrity.
