80 to 100 new employees being eyed for DPS

Recognizing the urgency of hiring policemen and firefighters, Senate President Joaquin G. Adriano said yesterday that he would introduce a joint resolution to authorize the Department of Public Safety to conduct emergency hiring when the upper house resumes session on Wednesday next week.

Adriano said he is in the process of drafting the joint resolution, which would be forwarded to the House of Representatives for approval once it passes the Senate.

Adriano said he is looking at possibly authorizing the governor to identify and reprogram funds if the current DPS budget falls short in hiring some 80 to 100 employees to fill the vacant slots at the department. The resolution would also cover the needed funding for training at the CNMI’s police academy.

“[We will] adopt it [resolution] on the same day [and] send it to [the] House on the same day,” Adriano said.

The Senate President said he would discuss with DPS commissioner Edward Camacho the funding requirements necessary for the department to hire at least 80 employees.

Adriano, who is currently the acting governor, earlier met with Camacho, who had sought his help in resolving the DPS’ manpower shortage.

Some 21 to 30 policemen and firefighters left for the Army Reserve training in Hawaii, amid the Pentagon’s call for reservists to augment depleted U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The deployment leaves the department with 115 policemen and 71 firefighters on Saipan, according to Camacho, who said the number of reservists that would be deployed for training could even increase.

Camacho himself is an Army Reserve major. DPS deputy commissioner Franklin Babauta has already left Saipan for the Hawaii training.

Besides that of Saipan, Camacho reiterated the need for additional manpower for Tinian and Rota’s DPS. He also disclosed the need for 20 new cadets who would undergo three months of training at the police academy.

Senate minority leader Pete Reyes said he would support a resolution that would seek to address the manpower shortage at the Public Safety Department.

The paramount interest of the people is public safety,” Reyes said. “The governor should be given sufficient flexibility to make ends meet.”

Reyes said he would be amenable to authorizing the governor to identify and reprogram funds—if necessary—to implement the emergency hiring of DPS personnel.

The House leadership also recognized the need to address manpower shortage at the DPS, with spokesman Charles Reyes Jr. saying that the lower house has a close working relationship with the Senate.

As for the possible reprogramming of funds for the emergency hiring, the spokesman said the leadership would make a determination on the issue once Rep. Claudio Norita, the vice chair of the Judiciary and Governmental Operations Committee, completes his investigation on DPS’ spending.

According to spokesman Reyes, Norita has expressed concern about funds expenditure at the DPS, which prompted the lawmaker to look into the matter.

“One of the problems there is vehicle shortage. At one point, there were only four vehicles patrolling the island,” the spokesman said. He added, though, that “in the end, we’re going to make sure that we have an adequate police force.”

The manpower shortage at the DPS has prompted Camacho to resort to contingency measures. Before the deployment of reservists to Hawaii, he disclosed that DPS personnel on Saipan would work on 12- and 24-hour shifts, as the hiring of new personnel could take up to two months to process.

According to Camacho, policemen would work on 12-hour shifts, with about 8-16 hours of break before reporting for work again. A similar break period applies to firefighters who would work on 24-hour shifts.

The commissioner strongly urged resigned DPS employees to return to service. According to him, the department is also looking at possibly tapping the services of DPS retirees, although the legal implications of this option would have to be reviewed.

He also encouraged high school and college graduates to join the DPS workforce.