This was how a security officer described the re-hiring of Department of Public Safety personnel who have been arrested for their involvement in criminal activities.
“There is a poor management system that becomes a problem in hiring because of poor background checks. There is also poor drug testing,” said the security officer who declined to be identified.
Other individuals interviewed by this reporter declined to comment, saying they have relatives among DPS personnel.
Human rights advocate Wendy Doromal uploaded a list of DPS and Department of Corrections personnel who were arrested during the last five years on her “Unheard No More!” website. (http://unheardnomore.blogspot.com)
When asked for comment, DPS acting spokesman PO2 Jason Tarkong said in an e-mail: “I do not have the time to review each and every case. However I will refer this [list] to the proper section supervisor and hopefully have an official comment once reviewed by the commissioner.”
Doromal, in her website, said: “It’s scary that in the CNMI so many law enforcement officers and public servants are arrested for criminal activity. What’s scarier is that too many of them are reinstated, only to commit crimes again. It must be embarrassing and frustrating for the dedicated law enforcement officials.”
The former Rota teacher noted that CNMI “judges have handed down sentences that are so insignificant that a slap on the hand would be more of a consequence. Prisoners that have been convicted of violent crimes have routinely received weekend furloughs.”
She said “there is a pattern of reinstatement of rogue police officers with the governor taking part.”
According to Doromal, “There is no publication of a sexual offender registry in the CNMI, but increasing sexual assaults and rapes by repeat offenders.… If the CNMI thinks that it will continue to attract tourists, it should think again! People read and research before they plop down a chunk of money to take a vacation, and not many people will opt to vacation in a place that is growing more and more unsafe.”
