Guam Police Department seeks $64.9 million for FY2026; chief flags HVAC, command post, SROs and forensic equipment as priorities

Chief Steven C. Ignacio, chief of the Guam Police Department, told the Committee on Finance and Appropriation on June 10 that GPD is requesting $64,923,283 in general and special fund appropriations for fiscal year 2026 and additional federal‑fund matches to sustain operations and staffing needs.

Ignacio said the general fund request includes $48,552,600 for personnel services (about 89 percent of the general fund request), $5,121,491 for operations (about 9 percent) and $1,030,093 for utilities (about 2 percent). He told senators the department also seeks roughly $5.27 million in new funding beyond the baseline request to cover capital and program needs that are not fully funded in the governor—s transmittal.

Why it matters: senators repeatedly raised manpower and readiness concerns during the hearing. Committee members and GPD leaders said the department remains below the statutory minimum staffing threshold used to trigger interagency augmentation; the department continues to rely on back‑to‑back recruitment cycles while sustaining 12‑hour patrol shifts and elevated overtime costs.

GPD priorities and dollar figures presented

- Overall budget and grants: Ignacio said the FY2026 request totals $64,923,283 across general and special funds, with an anticipated federal grant match and a federal grant profile that grew from about $12.1 million (FY2023) to $18.8 million (FY2025). He said the federal grants support initiatives such as technology upgrades, school violence prevention, narcotics interdiction and fleet replacement.

- Personnel and recruitment: The department reported 273 uniformed officers including 14 police officer trainees (POTs) as of May (presentation states 273 total uniforms). Ignacio said six previous hiring cycles added 110 officers between FY2019 and FY2024 but overall net staffing declined because separations and retirements outpaced hiring. GPD plans a 16th POT cycle to start June 30, 2025, with 17 trainees. Ignacio said the FY2026 appropriation request would support recruitment of up to 20 POTs.

- Retention pay and incentives: Ignacio described earlier pay adjustments (a 25.59 percent pay adjustment implemented June 2024) and retention incentives (10 percent for POTs through sergeant 2; 15 percent for higher ranks). He also cited Public Law…