Department of Public Safety Commissioner Anthony Macaranas, right, and Assistant Police Chief Joe Saures meet with House members on Wednesday.
MEMBERS of the House of Representatives and the Department of Public Safety commissioner met in the House chamber on Wednesday to address the nuisance caused by what many believe are “homeless” individuals, especially in the Garapan tourist district.
Rep. Ralph N. Yumul, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, called for the meeting with DPS Commissioner Anthony I. Macaranas to also discuss the additional funding that DPS will need to address the problem.
In an interview after the meeting, Yumul said there have been many complaints from business owners and members of the community regarding “homeless” individuals roaming around and harassing tourists and other customers.
Macaranas said DPS is addressing the issue and is “striving to deter” these individuals from frequenting the tourist district.
But he said DPS lacks funding and manpower.
Right now, he added, DPS can only deploy two police officers per shift to the Garapan tourist district, which is the area from Bank of Guam to Micro Beach.
Macaranas said DPS has a couple of “obsolete” bicycles and a motor vehicle used for night patrols in the area.
He said he plans to assign 15 police officers to the tourist district. These officers will also interact with business owners to ensure their and their customers’ safety. The presence of an adequate number of officers will give business owners peace of mind, he added.
Macaranas said he has formed a team called Crime Against Tourist Section or CATS, whose main responsibility is to protect and ensure the safety of tourists.
He said he also has a “wish list” of what DPS needs to support CATS officers and make their work effective as they enhance police visibility in the community.
An individual, who is believed to be homeless, enters a business establishment in Garapan.
Yumul assured Macaranas that there is funding, “it’s just a matter of getting everybody on the same page.”
Rep. John Paul Sablan, who chairs the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, said there is $75,000 in gambling revenue available for local appropriation. He said it can be made available for DPS so it can address the problems with the “homeless” individuals in the Garapan tourist district.
Yumul said they want to adequately fund police presence in the Garapan tourist district to ensure that businesses and tourists will have peace of mind. He said the $75,000 “is something we can [appropriate] right away,” especially for the police officers’ overtime pay.
In the villages, too
Rep. Malcolm Omar said “homeless” individuals are also loitering in the villages. They use public facilities, including the public park at Paupau Beach, as their “homes,” he said.
He asked Macaranas if DPS is doing something to deter these individuals from roaming in the villages.
Omar noted that a lot of these individuals, “based on data, are suffering from substance abuse or mental illness.”
He asked if DPS has activated police stations in the villages “because these homeless people are reaching residential areas.”
Macaranas said a police station in San Roque is operational now, and soon, those in Kagman, Dandan and Koblerville will be activated as well.
Rep. Manny Castro said House Bill 23-70, which he introduced to establish the offense of drunk and disorderly conduct as a payable infraction, would help address the problem. The bill is with the Senate Judiciary, Government and Law Committee. Castro urged Macaranas to ask the Senate committee to “advance the bill.”
Castro said most of the “homeless” individuals are under the influence of substances, which, he added, is usually the reason they are harassing tourists.
“It’s getting out of control,” he said and H.B. 23-70 “is a good first step to save government cost.”
Castro noted that “some of these guys are not from here. Perhaps, we need DPS to form a unit to find out where are these guys coming from.”
Rep. Roman Benavente said he sees “homeless” individuals in Koblerville. “I see them everywhere, and these are people you might know. But still, it’s really a nuisance and it’s uncalled for,” he said.
Maybe, he said, “we should have a dialogue with business owners so the people will be aware.” He also would like to see police stations in the villages reactivated. “That’s really a deterrent,” he said.
Rep. Angelo Camacho said there are 20 solar-powered surveillance cameras waiting to be installed. They just need to purchase SIM cards that cost $30 each. He hopes they can “tap” gaming revenues for that as well.
Rep. Julie Ogo said, unfortunately, these would be just temporary solutions “because even when we drive them out, they will eventually come back.”
On Rota, she said there are a few “homeless” people, but they are not causing a nuisance. However, it’s still a concern because the safety of the community is at stake, she added.
An individual walks away after unsuccessfully asking another person for money in Garapan on Wednesday.
Put them in jail
Rep. Marissa Flores told Macaranas, “I’m all about putting them all in jail.” She believes in rehabilitation, she said, but when these individuals start harassing tourists and the local people “for whatever purpose, we don’t have an option when it comes down to the safety of our society. Right now, we need to fund it. I think there is money and I’m going to do anything in my power to make sure that is funded.”
She said she is a “very huge advocate” of public safety. “I have fought for funding for you, DPS,” she said.
Flores said when businesses lose customers, “we lose taxes.”
Macaranas said he has instructed police officers to “interact with these people and [tell] them [that] if they have no business [being there] besides asking [people] for money, to please move away from the business establishment.”
Macaranas acknowledged that these individuals are “creating these kinds of nuisances in the tourist district.”
In an interview, a Garapan business owner, who requested anonymity, said these individuals would enter their establishment and ask their customers for money or food.
“These individuals are sometimes under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and customers are complaining because [these individuals] smell, and are often frightening,” the business owner said.
