Senators scrutinized the credentials and experience of acting Department of Public Safety commissioner Robert Guerrero during a hearing yesterday on his appointment to the department\u2019s top post.<\/p>\n
After hearing a chorus of support from law enforcement officials for Guerrero during a public comment period, senators of Committee on Executive Appointments & Government Investigations brought up concerns with public safety in the Commonwealth, urging Guerrero to address these issues if confirmed.<\/p>\n
Sen. Justo Quitugua (Ind-Saipan) said \u201cfrom Rota to Tinian to Saipan\u201d he has heard comments from the community on the issue of drugs. <\/p>\n
Recalling words from a community pastor, Quitugua said, \u201cice [crystal methamphetamine] is like candy in the villages\u2026because it gets down to the kids.\u201d He urged Guerrero to take a look at the issue. \u201cIf it\u2019s in the villages, it is in the schools also,\u201d Quitugua said.<\/p>\n
Sen. Arnold Palacios (R- Saipan)\u2014referring to criticism about Guerrero\u2019s experience\u2014asked Guerrero point blank, \u201cAre you ready to prove them wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
Guerrero, in turn, said he was and added he would rely on officers \u201cthat know,\u201d saying that he was there to support, to be \u201ca pen,\u201d and to spend for the needs of his police officers.<\/p>\n
Sen. Sixto Igisomar (R-Saipan), for his part, said the \u201cthe option before us shouldn\u2019t be too difficult.\u201d He said Guerrero\u2019s experience gives confidence that he can lead the \u201cmen and women in blue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Committee chair Sen. Frank Cruz (R-Tinian) also asked Guerrero to work on concerns regarding court cases thrown out due to procedural mistakes made by law enforcement. \u201cEverybody makes a mistake, but we cannot continue to make the same mistake,\u201d said Cruz, urging Guerrero to work with his department and the Attorney General\u2019s Office on this.<\/p>\n
In speaking before the committee, Guerrero recalled his efforts as a former Department of Corrections commissioner. He noted, among others, a program developed that offered vocational training to prisoners in carpentry, masonry, and electric and plumbing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also did not hesitate to remove [DOC] officers\u201d that showed \u201cimproper conduct and activity,\u201d Guerrero also said.<\/p>\n
Speaking to criticism of his experience, Guerrero said his \u201cjob was not to be [a] police officer\u201d or an expert, but to provide leadership and guidance.<\/p>\n
Allaying any doubts of insincerity or \u201cdouble talk,\u201d Guerrero said, \u201cWith me, what you see is what you get\u201d and directed senators to some of the concerns hindering the department\u2019s morale, such as the lack of a raise in pay since the 1990s.<\/p>\n
He said officers make only 16,000 a year and that means about $7.69 per hour, which only can buy about \u201c2 gallons of gas, and four cans of Spam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe uniforms of our men and women have not been replaced in years,\u201d he said, calling these problems a strain on officers\u2019 families and a need for necessary funds and proper equipment.<\/p>\n
The Senate is expected to confirm Guerrero\u2019s appointment as DPS commissioner in a session later this week.<\/p>\n
A full house showed up at the Senate chamber yesterday in support of Guerrero.<\/p>\n
Among them were Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Seman and former DPS commissioner James Deleon Guerrero, now special assistant for Homeland Security and Emergency Management.<\/p>\n
Seman attested to Guerrero\u2019s ability to work well with personnel and staff. \u201cHe has the ability to connect professionally and on a personal basis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Seman recalled Guerrero\u2019s time as a Smiling Cove marina manager, saying that Guerrero transformed the marina \u201cinto what it is now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the kind of leadership that we really need,\u201d Seman said.<\/p>\n
Deleon Guerrero, for his part, said criticism against Guerrero\u2019s experience \u201cis quite unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n
He disclosed that he personally recommended Guerrero to the DPS post to Gov. Ralph Torres, upon being informed of his appointment to Homeland Security.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Senators scrutinized the credentials and experience of acting Department of Public Safety commissioner Robert Guerrero…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[900],"tags":[2626,35,1699,1446],"class_list":["post-219156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured","tag-attorney-general","tag-dps","tag-homeland-security","tag-james-deleon-guerrero"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219156\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}