Previous Story
Tinian DPS struggles with manpower shortage
Only 13 cops for 7 sections
The Tinian Department of Public Safety is making do with only 13 police officers for its seven sections.
Tinian DPS director Juan Santos told Saipan Tribune yesterday that they are experiencing a manpower shortage as the Tinian DPS currently has only 13 police officers, down from 17 back in 2015.
That’s only 13 officers for the department’s seven sections.
“To tell you the truth, we have been struggling with manpower,” he said in a phone interview.
Santos is proud of the officers because some of them have two to three assignments.
“One officer would be my patrol shift supervisor while at the same time doing the sexual offender registry and juvenile,” he said.
Some of those who left the department just wanted to relocate to the U.S. mainland.
“They didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.
Santos disclosed that five police cadets from Tinian will be joining the police academy on Saipan starting this Monday, March 13.
“It’s going to help me big time,” said Santos.
The five prospective additional officers would give Tinian the momentum to move forward, after the police academy’s graduation before or after this August, he said.
He still intends, however, to keep asking for more officers in the budget.
