KPD employees honored for effort in saving lives

LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Police Department recognized eight Employees of the Month recently: Dispatchers Sarah Louxz, Christina Chong Tim and Kristin Minei, and officers Aaron Bandmann, Robert Kerry, Christian Kaui, Derrick Kelley and Tyson Relacion, during October’s Police Commission meeting held via teleconference on Friday.

All eight employees are responsible for working as a team to save the lives of two women on Sept. 22.

Around 6 p.m., Louxz received multiple reports of two unresponsive women, ages 30 and 40, in the area of the Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex in Kapa‘a.

As a result of her quick thinking and experience as a 911 dispatcher, Louxz was able to recognize that the women were unresponsive as a result of a possible drug overdose. Within a few minutes of the initial call, she dispatched both fire and medical personnel, while Chong Tim dispatched police to the scene.

During the pandemonium of this incident response, Minei continued to receive and take the overflow of 911 calls that kept coming in.

Bandmann, Kerry, Kaui and Kelley responded and arrived on scene within minutes of being dispatched. They located the two women who were lying motionless in the parking lot area. Off-duty officer Relacion was already assisting with one of the subjects.

“The officers arrived at a chaotic scene that included two unresponsive females and a large crowd gathering,” said KPD Patrol Service Bureau Capt. Roderick Green.

”The officers, working as a team, acted quickly and decisively to tend to the women and create a perimeter to prevent further exposure,” said Green. “They immediately diagnosed the situation and within seven minutes of being dispatched officers Bandmann and Kaui deployed Narcan (a nasal spray used in emergencies to treat suspected opioid overdoses), while officers Kerry and Kelley assisted with preparing the automated external defibrillator.

“With medics enroute from Lihu‘e, officers assisted with the recovery of the women and saved their lives. No doubt that the team of dispatchers’ clear communication and the officers’ quick response and decisive actions saved lives,” Green said.

Both women were revived and received additional medical assistance from arriving Kaua‘i Fire Department and American Medical Response personnel.

“Despite the many challenges police officers face, we keep coming back to work every day because there’s no greater feeling than knowing that you’re capable of changing the trajectory of a person’s life,” said KPD Chief Todd Raybuck.

”You save someone’s life today so that they can continue to be with their loved ones tomorrow,” Raybuck said. “I am so proud and grateful to work with the many men and women of this department. Their heroic actions never cease to amaze me.”