Limtiaco, coalition organize workforce dev’t training for crime prevention

U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the CNMI Alicia Limtiaco yesterday announced the upcoming workforce development training for crime prevention.

At a press conference, Limtiaco said the training, which will be held at Kanoa Resort’s Seaside Hall in Susupe on June 18 and 19, 2015, will also be accessible to both Tinian and Rota.

The workforce development training, which has a theme “One Community CNMI,” is free and open to the public. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Diverse Community Outreach Coalition organized the event.

U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the CNMI Alicia Limtiaco, fifth from left, talks about the upcoming workforce development training for crime prevention during a press conference yesterday morning at the US Attorney’s Office’s conference room on Saipan. Also in the photo are members and representatives of the Diverse Community Outreach Coalition that is helping the U.S. Attorney’s Office in organizing the event that will be at Kanoa Resort’s Seaside Hall in Susupe on June 18 and 19.(Ferdie de la Torre)

Limtiaco said it is the event in which they are emphasizing the need for their community partners to come together to engage in crime prevention, strengthening protections for vulnerable populations, and reentry efforts.

Limtiaco said the coalition was established post 9-11 when then Attorney General Eric Holder had asked various communities to come together and talk about concerns about issues and work toward improving relation with law enforcement.

She said over the years, the coalition talked about crime prevention, national security, civil rights, labor and immigration.

More recently, she said, the coalition has wanted to look at the smart on crimes initiative that was announced by then AG Holder in 2013 by using workforce development as a strategy or means by which they can achieve and meet the goals of the initiative.

“The goals are making sure that we address crime prevention, strengthening protections for vulnerable populations, and reentry efforts,” she said.

She explained that when they are talking about re-entry, they are referring about assisting, preparing effectively those who are completing their terms of incarceration, and will be reentering society so that they can become productive members of the community.

“When we have someone who is at risk or part of the vulnerable population or disadvantaged, we provide educational opportunities,” Limtiaco said.

She said when they provide opportunities to develop a person’s skillset or enhance their skillset then certainly that can lead to doors opening up for jobs, for careers.

Limtiaco said when that happens, a person who is at risk or disadvantaged or part of vulnerable population, self-esteem grows, self-confidence grows, and then people then are more likely to make decision that would be based on good judgment and become more self sustaining than individuals who have none of that support in place.

At the training, there will be special messages from U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, and remarks from Gov. Eloy Inos, Senate president Victor B. Hocog (Ind-Rota), House Speaker Joseph P. Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan), and Saipan Chamber of Commerce president Alex Sablan.

At the session, Limtiaco said, there will be an overview of employment and labor laws and that there will be off-island trainers, including those from the Department of Justice Office of Justice Program, which is a major grant and federal funding sources across the country.

There will also have trainers from the National Institute of Corrections Community Services Division joining as well as an expert in Criminal Justice consultant.

There will be trainer the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, who will be joining to provide training on employment and on labor laws as well as compliance issues that will be addressed by U.S. Labor.

The Federal Bureau of Prison will talk about re-entry as the assistant director will be joining them, Limtiaco said.

CNMI Department of Labor Secretary Edith Leon Guerrero said the training is very timely.

Leon Guerrero said it is important that they address the issues facing the community today in the Commonwealth.

“We really need to take control of the situation and put everybody in the same room and talk about the major issues,” she said.

Northern Marianas College president Dr. Sharon Hart said one of the benefits that they’re looking at in their involvement in all of these, is how can they be assisting the CNMI.

“Because we know the more educated a workforce is the greater that it deters from crime or being incarcerated,” Hart said.

Hart said NMC’s role and responsibility here would be of course how can the college can help in ensuring and help with the education that can be going on both inside and working with the population.

She said maybe there should be focus on assisting those who have come out of the system who may now need to have that education and assistance.

Attorney Pamela Brown-Blackburn said she is president of the Pacific Ombudsman for Humanitarian Law, which started a project called Hope (Humanitarian Opportunities for Positive Empowerment).

“We’re trying to basically re-create what existed when we had the Federal Labor Ombudsman Office, but expand that to include the local population, U.S. eligible workers in that service,” Brown-Blackburn said.

Among the coalition members present at the press conference were Saipan Rotary Club president Richard Cody, Micronesian Legal Services Corp.’s Lee Pliscou, Public School System’s representative Cynthia Deleon Guerrero, Division of Youth Services director Vivian Sablan, DYS investigator Julian Camacho, Grace Christian Assembly Pastor Ray Kinsella, Department of Commerce acting secretary David R. Maratita, and Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence executive director Maisie N. Tenorio.