by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Already on a trend to be $1.3 million short this fiscal year, the outlook for the Guam Police Department looks grim. Bureau of Budget Management & Research Director Bertha Duenas says the agency already lacks enough money to pay overtime. While civilian workers have accrued more than $20,000 in overtme in the last four months, Duenas says the bottom line is that it wasn't authorized.

She told KUAM News, "If they were made to work overtime and the overtime plan was not in place there was already a violation of the policy in that they were promised compensation when a plan has not been approved."

Duenas refers to an overtime plan that is required for GovGuam line agencies, GPD included, which BBMR must first approve before administrative personnel can be authorized to work overtime. The issue, among several others, was the focus of discussions between Police Chief Paul Suba and several dozen civilian employees this afternoon who were wondering why they won't be paid overtime.

"BBMR hasn't told me anything of that nature," Suba said. "I did get a memo through our ASO indicating there were some concerns over some positions that were accruing overtime." He also said, "There's a lot of things she may have had contentions about but we'll be communicating."

BBMR has suggested that GPD remedy the situation by offering flextime for the overtime hours the civilian employees worked, but Suba contends he'll pay it even though the department is already operating in the red. "Those that worked it and are in line with the moratorium on overtime or the emergency matters absolutely," Suba added.

But BBMR is standing by its decision that administrative personnel were not authorized to work overtime because the chief was not authorized to approve such additional work; and instead of payment, GPD will have to impose another solution. Said Duenas, "It is not supposed to be the practice for you to authorize overtime without an approved plan, so if you had waited for the plan you would have known that it was knocked out, and you wouldn't have made any promises to employees on something you can't deliver.

"And that's the sad part."