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Bryan Pellegrini: Proud to Have Served His Hometown

For nearly three decades, Bryan Pellegrini has been a familiar face in the community as a member of the Clinton Police Department. Now, after 26 years in Clinton, Bryan is saying goodbye.

Bryan grew up Clinton and then moved to Honolulu when he was in 9th grade. Even though he was halfway around the world, Bryan’s hometown was still on his mind.

“I liked the small-town atmosphere. It’s a great place to raise kids and have a family,” Bryan says.

Bryan eventually moved back to town and began working for the Clinton Police Department in 1998. Some people might balk at the idea that anyone would be clamoring for the chance to leave Hawaii for Clinton, but for Bryan, it was no-brainer to come back.

“I wrote a letter to the chief at the time asking if there were any openings in the department, and it turns out the receptionist at the time was the mother of one of my good friends growing up. There was an opening at the time, and I actually ended up going back and forth between Honolulu and Clinton a few times to take different tests,” Bryan says.

Now, as of midnight of July 11, Bryan’s time as a police officer is Clinton has come to a close.

“You get to a point where it’s just time. It’s not that I don’t like the job anymore. I do. But you get tired of missing the birthdays and things like that. It was a mutual decision between me and my family. An opportunity came up where I can work for the state, so I’ll be doing that,” Bryan explains.

Bryan says that the notion of going into a career as a police officer was always on his radar.

“I knew I wanted to work in law enforcement. My dad worked for the government and, after high school and after I joined the Army and got out, I was having breakfast with him in Hawaii when I saw an ad in the paper for a local police officer in Honolulu,” Bryan recalls. “I said, ‘I’m going to go for it,’ and it was the best decision I ever made.”

Bryan worked for the Honolulu department for six years before he moved back to Clinton.

During his time in Clinton, Bryan was involved in several initiatives aimed at community serve, such as working as a student resource officer and as a DARE instructor.

“It was something I sought out. I loved working with the kids, and it’s something that I think humanizes police officers to them a little bit,” Bryan says.

Bryan’s efforts did not go unnoticed. Bryan was nominated for a prestigious award named after Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Agency agent who was killed by drug traffickers in the 1980s.

“I was nominated by our local Elks Club for the award, which goes to the officer that does the most keeping young people away from drugs and alcohol abuse. I came in second in the nation,” Bryan proudly notes, calling the award one of the most memorable moments of his career.

Other members of the Clinton community might recognize Bryan for his work in the winter with the department’s annual Toys for Tots drive.

“It’s hard work, but fun work. You see the results you can have on the community. It’s very rewarding,” says Bryan.

In fact, Bryan says the department often had extra donations which were then sent to schools, clinics, or other departments in contact with families who needed help.

Given his involvement with the community, it’s no surprise that Bryan says interacting with other people was his favorite part of the job.

“The community really has your back. I loved being out in the community and just talking to people,” Bryan says.

Unfortunately, Bryan acknowledges that there is a difficult side to the job, as well.

“Unfortunately, we see a lot of things you really don’t want to see. It takes a toll on the family. There’s no calling out, so you miss birthdays and holidays. And calls in the middle of the night. Things like that,” Bryan says.

For members of the community who wanted to get more insight into what being a police officer is about, Bryan helped run the annual Citizens Police Academy. The 10-week course taught participants about different aspects of police work.

“It’s one of the best programs we have. People learn a lot about what we actually do. Every week we have an officer come in and teach a class on different aspects of police work,” says Brian.

When Bryan isn’t working, he likes doing yard work or just spending time with family and friends.

While he may no longer be working in Clinton, Bryan will always have fond feelings for his hometown.

“I love the sense of community here. Everyone wants to help. Everyone wants to get involved. Nobody asks questions. They just see how they can help, and they jump in,” Bryan says. “And it’s really been that way my whole life.”