By Emmanuel T. Erediano
emmanuel@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
GOVERNOR David M. Apatang, Lt. Gov. Dennis James Mendiola, and Department of Public Safety Commissioner Anthony I. Macaranas on Thursday presented five brand-new Harley-Davidson Police Road Glide motorcycles to members of the media.
According to Public Assistance Officer Patrick Guerrero, the new motorcycles replace older units that were damaged beyond repair during Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018.
Funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through disaster recovery grants, the five motorcycle units cost roughly $225,000 in total.
“It’s a great thing. Anytime we get additional financial resources for a very important department that takes care of the community’s safety, we are providing more equipment for enforcement officers to allow them to do their job,” Guerrero said.
Governor Apatang thanked FEMA for replacing the old and damaged motorcycles with new, high-performance Harley-Davidsons, saying the replacements will help DPS save on maintenance costs.
Lt. Gov. Mendiola said he was pleased for DPS, noting that the new fleet will improve daily operations and support law enforcement efforts. He also thanked PAO and FEMA for their work in securing the funding, describing the project as “well-run” and beneficial to the people of the CNMI.
Commissioner Macaranas said the new motorcycles will be used strictly for traffic enforcement. He expressed appreciation to PAO for helping make the acquisition possible.
“These motorcycles allow police officers to be more effective in their daily operations, especially when they need to navigate through narrow spaces,” Macaranas said. He added that all traffic officers will undergo rigorous training before being allowed to operate the new units.
Sgt. Mike Landon, a newly certified DPS motorcycle safety instructor, said the new motorcycles are 2025 Harley-Davidson Police Road Glide 114 models.
Margaret Camacho, DPS Highway Safety coordinator, said the new units, like the old ones destroyed by the typhoon, were purchased through grants awarded to DPS’s Highway Safety Office by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“We’ve been working on these new motorcycles for a while,” Camacho said. “There were some delays in the processing, but I’m just grateful that it’s finally done.”
FEMA covered 90% of the project cost, while DPS provided a 10% match. The FEMA program coordinator for DPS is Gerilyn Dela Cruz.
The new motorcycles were driven to Capital Hill by Macaranas, Landon, Capt. Juan Mendiola, DPS Highway Patrol Chief Vicente “Kilili” Sablan, and Assistant Chief Jose Saures.
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
