HAWAII ISLAND CHAPTER OF THE STATE OF HAWAII ORGANIZATION OF POLICE OFFICERS (SHOPO) ENDORSES LINDA LINGLE FOR U.S. SENATE

HILO - Joined by Governor Lingle today on the Big Island today, Lieutenant Reed Mahuna of the Hawaii Chapter of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO), reinforced today that Hawaii Island's police officers' stand behind their statewide union's endorsement of former Governor Linda Lingle in her bid for Hawaii's open U.S. Senate seat.

"I echo our President Tenari Ma‘afala's comments from earlier this week that this is not just an endorsement, this is a personal commitment from our organization to see that Linda Lingle is elected as our next U.S. Senator," said Lt. Reed Mahuna, Hawaii Chapter, SHOPO. "We have no greater friend that Linda Lingle, who has delivered action and results as related to public safety. Not just rhetoric. In turn, she will have no greater ally in her campaign than the men and women of SHOPO," Mahuna added.

"Having the backing and support of 'Hawaii's Finest' has been a true honor for me since SHOPO's first endorsement of my campaigns in 2002. As Governor, my top priority for the state was the safety of the public. I could always count on our outstanding uniformed officers, who put their lives on the line every single day, to share the same commitment to keeping all the people of Hawaii safe. The SHOPO members and their families have always been, and will continue to be, part of my extended ‘ohana. I am extremely humbled by today's endorsement, and will always honor the faith SHOPO has shown in me by putting Hawaii's 'people first'," said Governor Linda Lingle.
SHOPO previously endorsed Governor Lingle in her gubernatorial campaign in 2002 and her re-election campaign in 2006.

To personally express her appreciation to the union members for their support, Governor Lingle is visiting police officers at the SHOPO chapter office in Hilo today after visiting Maui's officers Tuesday and she will travel to Kauai on Friday.

SHOPO was formed in 1971 and is an independent, non-affiliated union for police officers, and is the only law enforcement union in the state.

Additional information on the Linda Lingle Senate campaign is available at www.lingle2012.com. Follow the campaign updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lingle2012.com, Twitter at @lingle2012, and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/Lingle2012

The campaign recently launched its customized Lingle 2012 app for iPhones and Android devices. To download, use the browser on a mobile device to access the campaign's mobile website at www.lingle2012.com. Click on the mobile app icon and the app will automatically download and install on the mobile device. The mobile app can also be downloaded directly from the Apple App Store or Android Market by searching for 'Lingle 2012'.

# # # #