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Rota police report 10 vacancies, aging vehicles and radios as officers urge funding for safety and communications
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Summary
Rota’s Department of Public Safety told the committee it has 10 vacancies, aging patrol vehicles and unreliable communications, and asked lawmakers to consider reclassifying funded positions and using upcoming federal law‑enforcement grants to address equipment gaps.
Christine Cabrera, Resident Director of the Department of Public Safety for Rota, and Captain Noel Cavill told the committee that the local police force has 10 vacant positions, 7 funded and 3 unfunded, and that equipment and communications shortages hinder operations.
“Sometimes he says, it might be the last time,” Captain Cavill said, describing the personal risk officers face when responding with unreliable vehicles and inadequate protective gear. Cavill urged lawmakers to invest in vehicles and radios, and to prioritize training and life‑saving equipment for officers.
Witnesses said the fleet includes six GMC Terrains used for patrols; only two are currently reliable, and at least some repairs require manufacturer‑certified technicians unavailable on Rota. The department requested trucks better suited to rough terrain and upgrades to radio and in‑vehicle communications. Cabell and Cabrera explained that some basic communications now rely on officers’ personal cell phones.
On funding, OMB staff told the committee that the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) award announcement includes about $3 million for law‑enforcement operations, but the allocation was made from Saipan’s pot under that federal grant formula; OMB said the governor’s office could repurpose some of the Saipan allocation to Tinian and Rota if requested. Miss Vicky Villagomez told lawmakers the department currently holds multiple vacancies and that hiring can proceed for funded FTEs.
Cabrera and Cavill also said they may reclassify some existing funded positions to create PO‑3 (supervisory) roles, a change they said would require careful budget coordination so funded vacancies are not lost during the fiscal cycle.
Discussion only: no formal appropriation or hiring authorization was recorded; members urged the department to work with OMB and the governor’s office on filling funded vacancies and on repurposing available federal law‑enforcement grants.
