Kona police to host Kupuna Watch meeting on senior safety

Scams aimed at older residents, elder abuse reporting and everyday safety concerns will be front and center when Kona police hold their next Kupuna Watch meeting at the Lei Kupuna Senior Housing recreation center in Kailua-Kona.

The free monthly outreach session is scheduled for May 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at 74-5285 Kaeka Street. Officers from the Hawaii Police Department’s Kona Community Policing Section will talk with kūpuna about crime and traffic trends, how to spot and prevent financial and internet crimes, and why suspicious activity involving older adults needs to be reported quickly.

Kupuna Watch began in November 2025 as a partnership between the Kona Community Policing Section and the County of Hawaii Department of Parks and Recreation’s Elderly Activities Division. The program was spearheaded by Sergeant Wyattlane Nahale and was created to give police a regular, face-to-face way to reach seniors across West Hawaii.

Police have already used the meetings to dig into the kinds of scams that are showing up in local communities. In one recent session, detectives from the Area II Juvenile Aid Section joined the discussion to walk attendees through new schemes targeting the elderly. The monthly gatherings have also focused on traffic hazards and the importance of reporting abuse that may otherwise go unnoticed.

The outreach has drawn a steady response. In January, police said Kupuna Watch had already been well received, with dozens of seniors attending since the program started. That interest reflects the size of the population the meetings are meant to serve: Hawaii County’s residents 65 and older make up 24.9% of the county, according to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts.

Kupuna Watch meetings have rotated among senior sites in West Hawaii, including Hale Hālāwai in Kailua-Kona, the Kona Imin Center in Hōlualoa and Sgt. Rodney J.T. Yano Memorial Hall in Captain Cook. A May 13 meeting was held at Hale Hālāwai, and the May 28 session at Lei Kupuna will continue the same monthly format.

For families trying to protect an older parent or neighbor, the message from police is practical: watch for financial pressure, suspicious internet contact, unexplained traffic risks and signs of abuse, and bring concerns directly to the officers who attend these sessions. In a county where nearly one in four residents is 65 or older, that kind of repeated, local contact is becoming part of the safety net.