“I will take 20 days of administrative leave to ensure a smooth transition and exhaust my annual leave before retirement,” Suba said in a press statement.
Cruz announced the appointment of Maj. Rick Leon Guerrero as acting chief of police. Leon Guerrero will also continue his role as acting police commander.
Cruz told the media that if Suba had not tendered his resignation, he would have fired him.
Suba came under fire last week as a result of GPD’s search on KUAM studios, where investigators confiscated a document related to the polygraph test for spokesman John Edwards.
Gov. Felix Camacho was off island. Last week, Cruz urged the governor to replace Suba, saying his lack of leadership had diminished the confidence of the people in the police department.
Cruz said he accepted Suba’s request for retirement after consulting with the governor.
Although Suba’s resignation will mean a change in leadership at GPD, Cruz said he will not lose his faith in the men and women of that department.
Cruz said the decision was difficult for him since he considers Suba a friend.
“Sometimes friends are difficult to part with and for me, it was an issue of making sure our departments are going to be able to do the job that they’re created to do,” Cruz said.
“And so, that was my decision. We needed to find somebody else to do it,” the acting governor said, noting his lack of confidence in Suba’s effective leadership.
Cruz said the governor was aware of his decision to meet with Suba.
“Obviously, [the governor] is also a friend of the chief’s and I think that he was obviously sad about the fact that we were seeing a friend depart as one of our leaders,” Cruz said. “Hopefully we can restore the public’s confidence in the police department with new leadership.”
Cruz clarified that although the governor said last week he needed more time before deciding on Suba’s fate, the governor never stated that letting go of the police chief was a decision he wouldn’t make.
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