A Honolulu Police Department officer who spent years quietly helping unhoused families and at-risk kids across West Oahu has become the first police officer in Hawaii to receive the U.S. Department of Justice’s Hometown Hero award. Officer Roxanne Montalbo, an Aiea native who has served with HPD for about six years, was formally presented with the honor on July 14.
The recognition, first reported by Hawaii News Now, caps a career built around community policing rather than headline-grabbing arrests. Montalbo told the outlet she does not seek recognition or the spotlight, and credits her husband, children, parents, and church family for supporting her work. She is a devout Christian, according to the same report.
The award itself is new. The Department of Justice created the Hometown Hero award in 2026 as part of its Freedom 250 initiative, a nationwide program tied to the lead-up to America’s 250th anniversary in which U.S. Attorneys’ Offices recognize local law enforcement officers for embodying liberty, service, and civic responsibility, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Unlike many law enforcement honors focused on violent crime or physical rescue, the initiative explicitly elevates community policing, youth advocacy, and behavioral health de-escalation.
A Career Built on Small, Steady Interventions
Montalbo is assigned to HPD’s District 8 Community Policing Team, which covers West Oahu communities from Ewa and Kapolei to Waianae, Makaha, and Kaena Point, according to the Honolulu Police Department. During 2025 alone, she organized 33 community events in the district, including school presentations, career days, and Coffee with a Cop sessions. In one case, HPD says she helped enroll a 12-year-old boy in middle school after discovering he had never attended school…