HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Guam is safer, according to Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, who has been attending some of the recent public safety meetings being held across the island.
In recent weeks, several villages have hosted outreach meetings to allow residents the opportunity to air their concerns with Guam police.
“Their main concerns are safety of course and the increase of crime in their neighborhoods,” the governor said.
The crimes reported just this year include unsolved homicides, armed robberies, rapes, park riots, and daily drug arrests.
In February, the chief of Guam Police Department publicly stated “there is a killer on the loose” as his detectives continue to search for answers in the murder of Patrick Ken Sakai. Sakai was stabbed multiple times and suffered blunt force trauma. He was found dead Jan. 23 at a ranch off Chalan Emsley in Yigo.
Not long after, authorities responded to a trash fire off Route 10 in Chalan Pago where human remains were found. Officers were unable to identify the victim based off body parts that was left at the scene. Nearly a month had passed before GPD released a sketch of the tattoos spotted on the remains.
“Would you say we have a safer Guam today?” The Guam Daily Post asked her on Wednesday.
“I do. Yes. I do,” she said.
The governor said her administration is addressing the uptick in crime by recruiting more police officers.
“One of the reasons we have increased our salaries for our law enforcement is to retain and recruit the much-needed staff to go out there to protect our people. My goal is to put more police officers out there. My goal is to put more presence out there. We are doing that. We’ve given them vehicles and now we are working with them to try to retain and recruit the necessary people,” she said.
Law enforcement was given an 18% pay increase earlier this year.
The governor also applauded the ongoing efforts of the neighborhood watch groups.
