DPS fires off load of woes

Local firemen are sleeping in cramped quarters, police cars cannot patrol the streets due to unavailability of gasoline and radio rooms dispensing sensitive information are left open to strangers.

Amid rising crime incidents on the island, the Department of Public Safety has been trying to combat a serious staff shortage, insufficient funds and deteriorating facilities that could imperil peace and order in the community.

This was the contention of public safety officials when they testified before the House committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations which heard gripes and problems besetting the department at the start of its oversight hearing yesterday.

The legislative inquiry is being conducted following last month’s siege of the male detention facility at the Division of Corrections in protest of alleged inhumane conditions in the prison and the spate of jailbreaks in the past year.

Public Safety Commissioner Charles Ingram prodded lawmakers to increase funding to his department, underscoring the need for more police officers to enforce laws and maintain peace and order.

The ratio currently stands at one officer per 7,222 people on Saipan alone, putting at risk the safety of residents who have expressed concern over the rising cases of crimes in their neighborhood.

According to government statistics, criminal activities in the CNMI have shot up nearly four-fold over the last 10 years as more than 4,000 cases were recorded last year, compared to about 1,000 in 1988.

“My initial vision and goal for DPS was to downsize management, improve services to the community, increase uniformed personnel, cut overtime, increase the quality and quantity of training and make DPS the best as we can possibly be,” Ingram told the committee.

But he said his department needs to restructure its internal organization to meet the needs of the community, but added he has faced difficulties in purging various divisions.

“I have a problem with DPS employees that have problems, real or imagined, that ask for political intervention and interference into the internal matters of this department,” Ingram said.

“The amount of political influence that is constantly brought to bear is appalling,” he added. Ingram declined to elaborate when pressed to comment on his statement after the hearing.

Budget cut impact

During the hearing, Assistant Police Chief for Special Programs Clyde Norita decried the low salary paid to officers, which averages at $30,000 annually, as well as the drastic cutback in government appropriation that has affected operations in most divisions.

He said fire stations can’t provide beds for its personnel, adding “some garment barracks are probably better than the sleeping quarters of firemen.”

In an interview after the hearing, Norita said the proposed budget for the department for Fiscal Year 2000 amounting to $13 million is not sufficient for its anticipated expenditures.

For the police division, only $900,000 have been set aside for its operations when the cost of leasing patrol vehicles reach to as much as $1.2 million each year.

“They haven’t been talking about gas for the cars, equipment for personnel, repair maintenance for all our cars,” Norita explained. “I may have the patrol cars but I don’t have the gas to run them on the streets. So they are virtually worthless.”

The police official asked the panel to look into the needs of the DPS, particularly existing laws that hamper investigation by officers on crimes, such as restriction on audiotape recording.

“There’s not much police out on the street, there’s not enough Corrections guards, there’s no enough firefighters. We’re really short,” Norita added.

The hearing is scheduled to resume on April 29 when the committee questions public safety officials on the current conditions of the prison and other internal problems, according to JGO chair Rep. Frank Cepeda.