by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Several weeks ago Police Chief Fred Bordallo filed a theft of property complaint against a high-ranking officer in the Guam Police Department. Details about the case have been kept under wraps as internal and criminal complaints are underway. The complaint at GPD has raised questions about whether there was an actual theft of government property or whether the transfer of shooting targets was an act of cooperation among island leaders.

"No, I don't want to confirm on what items on the theft of complaint that was filed because I don't want to jeopardize the ongoing investigation," the chief said. Bordallo isn't disclosing much about a theft of property complaint he filed several weeks ago, but KUAM News has learned that both internal and criminal investigations that are underway at the police department deal with shooting targets that were given to the Palau Police Department last year.

"He (Palau Director of Public Safety) contacted Mark Charfauros because he was in a conference with him and he asked him, 'You guys gave us some targets last year, could you give us some more?' Mark said he would check and checked over with the people the same people at the range and they said, 'Yeah, we have some more targets.' So they gave the guy more targets to take down to Palau so the Palauan police officers can qualify," said Attorney Randy Cunliffe, who represents Captain Charfauros, the subject of the investigation.

As part of its partnership in the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Organization, GPD also provided firearms to Palau in the past. The attorney says several years ago then-acting police chief Ric Leon Guerrero provided Palau with shooting targets to qualify its officers. When they ran out, they sought assistance again. "It's not something that didn't happen in the past and we try to cooperate and that's what we were doing," Cunliffe stated. "I think the people at the armory said, 'Yeah, they had extra', and they turned it over to the people. I don't think mark actually gave it to him himself. Somebody else did it."

While he wouldn't comment on the missing shooting targets, Chief Bordallo did admit the department is lacking the resources that are necessary to conduct annual firearms qualifications for its officers. "We're very short on our resources when it comes down to getting all police officers to include our current reserve officers to be able to get them all to qualify on an annual basis. Because of the budget situation, it's a challenge," he said.

Bordallo says the case remains under investigation and would not comment on whether he ordered officers to stand down and not make an arrest in the case.

Cunliffe meanwhile believes the case is just another example of fighting factions within the police department, saying, "Rather than doing their jobs, people are running around with these petty little issues of did somebody give another island nation some targets so their people can qualify with their handguns. Is that a crime? I don't know who's going to consider that a crime."

Cunliffe confirms that his client has been interviewed by police, who have also contacted the director of public safety in Palau, who confirmed that he asked for the targets that have been given to Palau in the past. The Palau director of public safety didn't not return our multiple calls for comment.

Chief Bordallo meanwhile says the matter remains under investigation and a report will eventually be forwarded to the Attorney General's Office.