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Regulators, DPS starts talk on casino joint task force
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Posted on Jul 08 2015
The Commonwealth Casino Commission and the Department of Public Safety have started exploratory talks on the possibility of a joint task force in preparation for the opening of a casino in Garapan.
DPS Commissioner James C. Deleon Guerrero said he recently had a meeting with casino commission executive director Edward Deleon Guerrero to have the initial talks on a joint task force between the DPS and the commission.
“The problem is, though, is that they (the casino commission) do not have any investigators at this point in time in order for us to put the two components together,” Deleon Guerrero said.
The police chief added that speaking of the casino, there are a lot of “unknowns” that need to be acknowledged.
There are a lot of circumstances, where it may not be a crime here in the CNMI, but it is a crime in other jurisdiction, he said, adding that he anticipates a lot of “test cases.”
He again emphasized the need for more funding for the DPS so that the department “can plan to ready ourselves by the time the industry is up and running.”
Armed security
Back in June, the Commonwealth Casino Commission discussed the possibility of having armed security personnel for Best Sunshine International, Ltd.’s casino in Garapan, although the discussions were purely exploratory.
The topic was raised, and would require training for both the casino commission staff and members of the DPS, should they be asked to be deployed at the facility.
But casino commission executive director Deleon Guerrero stressed that the need or deployment of armed personnel is just one of the proposals that the commission is discussing.
Commissioner Joseph Reyes said the regulators will need to discuss with the casino licensee the topic of security. He said the casino operator would know best when it comes to security.
Best Sunshine executives, meanwhile, said a casino training school on the fourth floor of the Bank of Guam building in Garapan will be “open” to the regulators.
BSI and regulators also discussed the possibility of having casino commission staff get some training from the facility.
