Hawai‘i Police Welcome Trina, New K-9 Assigned to Islandwide Missing-Persons Searches

Trina, a three-year-old Labrador Retriever trained for live-find human tracking, was formally welcomed to the Hawai‘i Police Department during a Feb. 24 ceremony at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center in Kona and is paired with Officer Christopher Ross of the Area II Juvenile Aid Section for island-wide searches for missing children and endangered adults.

The Hawaiʻi Island K9 Association funded Trina’s acquisition, transport and initial training with a $25,000 donation that also helped pay for Kona kennel improvements and an expanded exercise area. Police Chief Reed Mahuna said, “We are deeply grateful to the Hawaiʻi Island K9 Association not only for helping bring K9 Trina to our department, but also for their generous support in improving our Kona kennels. Their commitment ensures our canine teams have the resources they need to safely and effectively serve our community.” Tammy Passmore, founder and chair of the Hawaiʻi Island K9 Association, and Merick Nishimoto, deputy managing director for Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda, were pictured at the ceremony.

Trina was born in Sweden and received initial training at Ultimate K9 in Westfield, Indiana before arriving on Hawaiʻi Island. The donation funded an additional 40-hour training session with retired Honolulu Police Department canine trainer Corporal Wayne Silva to certify handler and canine together. HawaiiNewsNow reports Ross has been training Trina since June 2025.

Operationally Trina joins an island roster that includes at least one scent-tracking K9 based in Hilo. Ross described a recent Waikoloa deployment where he, Trina and K9 Scout were called to find an elderly missing person: “An elderly gentleman...was reported missing. Me and Trina and K9 Scout got the call to go search for him.” He added, “The man was found within minutes, and Trina was part of the group effort, even if she did not find the elderly man herself.” Ross stressed the value of multiple K9 teams, saying in part, “Sometimes that trainer, he may be on vacation, the dog may be down if their dog gets injured, vice versa. Having two K9s on the island, wish we got more, just makes more sense, gives us a better opportunity, better chances of locating a missing person.”

Trina replaces K9 Argo, who retired in 2023 after five years of service to Hawaiʻi Island. Amanda Leonard of the Missing Child Center highlighted the time-sensitive nature of searches: “Time is always of the essence when a child or vulnerable person goes missing. It is so important that the canine is in the location readily available to the search and rescue teams to deploy and assist in locating that missing person.”

HPD lists non-emergency contact at (808) 935-3311 and headquarters at 349 Kapiʻolani Street, Hilo, HI 96720. With Trina in service and the Kona kennels upgraded, the department says the new team will be available for island-wide deployments to find missing children, kupuna and other vulnerable residents.