Dark Alleys of Ad Hoc Planning

Whatever excuses the Department of Public Safety has to offer in the recent escape of three prisoners from the Detention Center, it’s time for the administration to buckle down and resolve this matter once and for all. If heads must roll, then let them roll. This negligence must no longer be tolerated. We must put a period and avoid any further redundant use of the comma.

Imagine the fear that grips the entire community when news of prisoners escaping hits the tubes and pages of newspapers. Parents fear for the safety of their children when they leave home in the morning for school. The same fear of helplessness abounds when families throughout the island call it a night. It becomes a restless evening when families are supposed to be resting peacefully knowing that criminals are loose.

What’s even more interesting, if not, suspicious is the age group of prisoners who escaped. It seems a coordinated operation and the Commissioner of DPS needs to buckle down to ensure that public safety persist at all times. After all, that’s what DPS’s primary role is all about–public safety and peace in the community. And we’re paying dearly for it by way of taxes and we expect nothing less from our law enforcement officers and guard of the peace than the fulfillment of their fiduciary responsibilities.

Perhaps it’s time that DPS considers direct assistance from village communities by selecting upright citizens to work alongside regular police officers, i.e., patrolling villages and community events. It’s a good way to establish good community rapport in keeping peace and order throughout the NMI. After all, ensuring public safety is a two-way street that would best achieved by working together. It would save the department resources it needs to beef up other public safety programs to keep law and order throughout the NMI.

Reinventing the role of DPS in the Northern Marianas is a must amidst bad economic times where financial resources are difficult to come by however the dire need to grant more local funds to the department. We strongly recommend that DPS Commissioner Charles Ingram seriously taps community resources in a collective effort to ensure safety and peace throughout the Northern Marianas Community. Si Yuus Maase`!