REPRESENTATIVE Edwin Propst on Tuesday introduced House Legislative Initiative 22-1 to allow for a free and open election of the Department of Public Safety commissioner.
According to H.L.I. 22-1, “it is in the best interests of the people of the Commonwealth and the frontline police officers of DPS to eliminate the commissioner of the Department of Public Safety as one of the appointed heads of executive departments.”
A legislative initiative must be passed by three-fourths of the members of each house present and voting. The governor cannot veto a legislative initiative, but it must be approved by voters themselves.
H.L.I. 22-1 proposes that DPS “shall be headed by a commissioner elected at-large by the people of the CNMI. The commissioner shall be responsible for the daily affairs of DPS, provide fair and equitable leadership to the various enforcement officers within the office, ensure that staff are trained sufficiently so that forwarded cases to the Office of the Attorney General are competently examined to withstand muster in the advent prosecution is sought in which probable cause is sufficiently determined, and perform other duties and responsibilities as provided by law.”
H.L.I. 22-1 states that the commissioner’s term of office “shall be four years, and all elections for the commissioner shall coincide with a mid-term (non-gubernatorial) election. After the Commonwealth Election Commission certifies the results of an election, if no candidate receives more than half of the total votes cast for commissioner of DPS on the 14th day thereafter, a runoff election shall be conducted between the candidates who received the highest and second highest number of votes.”
H.L.I. 22-1 states that “because the DPS commissioner is a political appointee and serves at the pleasure of the governor, it is common to see the commissioner attending political party rallies and fundraisers, waving on the sides of the road at political gatherings in support of the governor, and even greeting the governor upon his arrival from off-island trips and then carrying the governor’s baggage to his vehicle as he deplanes.”
“The current process of being appointed by the governor subjects the DPS commissioner to removal at any time the governor deems necessary, thus potentially barring the freedom and autonomy the commissioner of Public Safety needs to execute his/her sworn duties, especially when it comes to enforcing the laws of the Commonwealth,” H.L.I. 22-1 stated.
“As long as the commissioner is a political appointee, political interference will continue to exist at DPS,” H.L.I. 22-1 stated.
The legislative initiative also stated, “Most states and townships with extensively larger populations when compared to our Commonwealth have consistently opted to elect their head of public safety to keep law enforcement free from political interference and intimidation.”
Edwin Propst
