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 37‑125, which authorizes a $10,000 retention bonus for qualifying uniform personnel conditioned on satisfactory performance and specified service periods and payback provisions with Guam Community College for training reimbursement.

- Equipment, facilities and capital requests outside the baseline request: The chief identified a set of high‑priority items he asked the committee to consider in addition to the baseline budget: - HVAC and exhaust replacement for the Forensic Science Bureau laboratory: GPD asked for $2,000,000 to replace a failing HVAC/exhaust system, citing accreditation and OSHA standards as reasons the system must be replaced rather than temporarily repaired. - School Resource Officer (SRO) program: $1,500,000 to support seven sworn SROs, one administrative staffer, training, DARE and materials. - "MALIK" multi‑agency narcotics initiative: estimated $922,028 to support salaries, contractual services and supplies for the multi‑agency drug disruption effort (the chief said GPD has already met several organizational milestones and is finalizing a memorandum of understanding and office space). Ignacio said the GPD portion estimate excludes costs other agencies will incur. - Mobile command post: roughly $500,000 estimated cost to obtain a serviceable mobile command post after the department was unable to deploy its usual unit during an April active‑shooter event. - Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC‑FID) system and related validation costs: about $350,000 for instrument purchase, calibration, standards and training to support Public Law 37‑113—s enhanced drug sentencing requirements and to produce quantitative purity data. - Evidence control building (Jigo): $4,288,690 in Department of the Interior funding was awarded; Mega United Corporation selected as contractor; anticipated completion September 2026 (pending EPA plan clearance and DPW review). - Talafofo substation: $6,000,000 award from GURA for a 6,552‑sq‑ft facility covering eastern villages; Surface Solutions selected; design completion anticipated July 2025 and construction June 2026. - LAN mobile radio (LMR) upgrade phase 2: ARPA‑funded design is underway with factory testing planned by Aug. 10, 2025 and anticipated cutover in December 2026; chief cited a design/build cost cited in testimony (approximately $11.5–$12 million) funded by ARPA. - Patrol vehicles: GPD told the committee it has ordered 42 patrol vehicles (plus five additional vehicles intended for school‑based SROs) from vendor Cars Plus, with phased deliveries beginning summer 2025; GPD cited ARPA and highway grant funding in procurement. - Body‑worn cameras: GPD procured body‑worn cameras, cloud storage and related training ($141,012 noted in testimony) and is planning a one‑month pilot at Central Precinct prior to departmentwide issuance. Ignacio said the general order and standard operating procedures are completed and training has been provided; GPD awaits IT upgrades to support storage and evidence workflows before full deployment. - DNA lab and forensic accreditation: GPD reported near completion of HVAC and instrument validation at the island's DNA lab and anticipates occupancy in July 2025; the Forensic Science Bureau holds accreditation for key services (firearms, latent print, drug chemistry) through 2027 and is planning renewal activities for 2026.

Oversight questions and context

Committee members pressed GPD leaders on several operational and fiscal points during roughly two hours of questioning: senators asked about prior‑year obligations and BBMR reserves (Ignacio and administrative services officer Nerida/Nellia Sonoma said some reserves have been released and that FY2024 carryover accounting is still being reconciled with BBMR), vehicle age and delivery timing (chief said the existing fleet averages about three to five years and that the 40+ new vehicles should arrive in stages beginning July–September 2025), and delays in implementing certain projects such as an audio/visual surveillance procurement (Ignacio said previous bids produced no responsive vendors but that a site‑visit by an interested vendor recently occurred).

Manpower and workload: multiple senators and the chief emphasized that GPD remains below the staffing threshold used to trigger statutory augmentation and that the force is operating under chronic shortages. Committee members expressed concern about sustained 12‑hour shifts, overtime backlogs (Ignacio said overtime pay runs roughly two to three pay periods behind and staff are working to clear it), and separations to other agencies, including federal or Department of Defense law enforcement positions.

MALIK task force update: Chief Ignacio said the multi‑agency drug initiative has met multiple times, that GPD plans to house the group in office space offered by the Department of Parks & Recreation in Paseo, and that participating officers from other agencies will be deputized and required to meet GPD hiring standards (background, polygraph, psychological screening) and receive in‑service training on GPD standards of conduct and use of force. Senators acknowledged the potential value of a regional approach and discussed opportunities to pursue additional federal assistance through a broader Marianas application to a Hawaii‑linked program (chief said he plans outreach to federal and regional partners).

Distinction between discussion and formal actions

The hearing was an informational budget hearing on Bill 44‑38 (an administration budget bill introduced per the Organic Act of Guam). No formal votes or committee actions were recorded during the session; senators and staff indicated the committee will continue markup and budget deliberations in the August session and will accept written testimony for seven calendar days following the hearing.

What GPD told the committee it still needs most urgently

During follow‑up questioning senators repeatedly prioritized the forensic lab HVAC replacement and the mobile command post as near‑term needs that affect accreditation, officer safety and operational readiness. Ignacio and multiple senators emphasized the HVAC replacement as a funding priority that, if not addressed, could force continued outsourcing or degrade forensic capacity.

Looking ahead

Chairman Christopher M. Duenas and the committee signaled they will consider the supplemental and carryover requests during markup leading up to the August budget session. Chief Ignacio and GPD staff said they are prepared to provide additional financial detail and that they will continue to pursue federal grants and alternative funding sources while the legislature evaluates the FY2026 appropriations package.

(Discussion portions described above are drawn from testimony and question‑and‑answer exchanges during the committee—s June 10, 2025 hearing on Bill 44‑38, as recorded in the hearing transcript.)