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DPS taps fed funds to acquire 6 motorcycles
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Posted on Jul 25 2000
The Department of Public Safety has tapped the U.S. Highway Safety Funds in acquiring six motorcycles for the traffic enforcement section, according to Maj. Clyde Norita, assistant chief of the Office for Special Services.
With the increasing number of vehicles on the island, Mr. Norita said the department believes that the motorcycles can respond faster to emergencies than patrol cars.
Each motorcycle cost $15,000 while the patrol cars equipped with light and sirens cost $25,000.
DPS has sent Police Officer Eric Mafnas to the U.S. mainland for training on the use of motorcycles. He is now holding the 80-hour training for other traffic officers to become certified motorcycle operators.
This is the second time that DPS tapped the federal highway funds to acquire motorcycles after 10 years.
Twenty new patrol cars are now roaming around the streets of Saipan after the Office of Budget and Management gave the Department of Public Safety funding for the immediate purchase of the Cherokee vehicles.
The acquisition of the new fleet of vehicles is envisioned to cut down DPS expenditure for car maintenance by $500,000 in three years.
For the past 10 years, DPS has been leasing its vehicles which was criticized by legislators as being too costly for the government. With the austerity measures implemented by the government, DPS was given funding for the purchase of at least 20 vehicles.
Sixteen more patrol cars are expected to be acquired under the Fiscal Year 2001 budget, with the $14.3 million appropriation for DPS to complete the fleet of vehicles needed by the department.
