Rep. Ralph S. Demapan, Covenant-Saipan, introduced the legislation on behalf of the court.
Demapan said his bill will save taxpayer money while maintaining peace and security at the local courts.
In his letter to Speaker Froilan C. Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, Naraja said the local courts rely heavily on the executive branch law enforcement agencies and officials to perform duties that are judicial in nature like serving jury summonses.
“Currently, the Marshal Service Division has no authority to arrest, detain or otherwise enforce CNMI laws and in-house regulations. It is essentially a law enforcement agency with no actual power to enforce laws,” Naraja said.
“Potentially violent criminal defendants are present in courtrooms on a regular basis and the Marshal Service Division needs authority equivalent to other recognized law enforcement agencies in order to adequately protect litigants and judiciary personnel,” he added.
