Kona police host family beach cleanup scavenger hunt at Old Airport

Kona police are taking a familiar beach cleanup and adding a twist designed to pull in families, keiki and first-time participants. The Hawaii Police Department’s Kona Community Policing Section, working with Miss Aloha Hawaii Scarlette Burnham-Rosario, will host a Scavenger Hunt Beach Cleanup at Old Airport Recreation Area in Kailua-Kona.

The free event is set for Saturday, May 16, and will start at 7 a.m. at Old Kona Airport Beach Park, 75-5500 Kuakini Highway. Participants will look for items and then help remove litter and debris from the shoreline, tying the morning to mālama āina, environmental stewardship and community pride.

The setup reflects a broader goal that goes beyond picking up trash. Police want residents to meet officers in a positive, low-barrier setting, one that feels more like a Saturday family outing than a formal public-safety meeting. The department’s HI-PAL program is central to that approach, with a mission to provide positive activities for keiki that teach sportsmanship, fair play, respect for authority, self-discipline and hard work.

That emphasis matters in West Hawaii, where community policing often overlaps with family recreation and shoreline access. The cleanup is open to individuals and families, and residents are asked to register in advance by contacting Officer Leonard Warren at leonard.warren@hawaiipolice.gov. For police, the point is not only a cleaner coastline, but also a chance to strengthen relationships in a setting that feels rooted in everyday Kona life.

The event also follows a run of recent Kona Community Policing outreach that has drawn steady turnout. On Jan. 24, 2026, the section said about 100 community members, including 70 keiki, attended Kona Bicycle Day on Alii Drive. In March 2025, roughly 100 keiki took part in the third annual Outrigger Youth Canoe Regatta at Kailua Pier. Those events suggest police are finding an audience for hands-on gatherings that blend recreation, safety and youth engagement.

Old Kona Airport Beach Park gives that strategy a fitting setting. Hawaii County Parks & Recreation lists the site at the same Kuakini Highway address, and state aquatic-resources materials describe it as a 217-acre area established in 1992. Built on the former Kona airport and landing strip site, the park carries a local history that matches the purpose of the cleanup: preserve the shoreline, bring people together and keep a place with deep community value in better shape for the next generation.