Park Police push for expanded powers

When Guam’s Park Police chief took over in 2023, he says he found a division operating without standard procedures — what he described as “jungle rules.” Nearly two years later, he told lawmakers the division has rebuilt its structure and is working to strengthen accountability and enforcement efforts.

The officers tasked with protecting Guam’s parks say they’ve been operating with limited resources — and limited authority — for far too long.  During an oversight hearing, Committee on Public Safety chairman Senator Shawn Gumataotao said the challenges facing the Department of Parks & Recreation’s Park Police demand urgent attention. He noted the important work of territorial park patrol officers should be considered in any performance-based budgeting pilot program for the next fiscal year.

When Park Police Chief Joey Terlaje took over in April 2023, he says what he found was alarming. He said, “And I was surprised to discover that back in april 2023 there were no standard operating procedures — pretty much it was jungle rules.”

Terlaje says since then, his team has worked to build structure — conducting inventories of staff, equipment, and documents, and putting policies in place to professionalize the division.

Now, he wants to make sure that progress doesn’t stall.

Fast forward to today, Terlaje says the Park Police are gaining momentum — but sustaining and growing that momentum will require legislative support.

He’s asking Senator Gumataotao to consider changes to existing law that would expand their jurisdiction, saying, “to adjust the existing law with the park police, like you mentioned, with our jurisdiction — which is confined to our territorial park system — we want to expand to the powers shoreline throughout the whole island.”

The proposed expansion would allow Park Police to enforce the vehicle code of Guam beyond park boundaries, particularly along shorelines where illegal parking and unsafe driving have become ongoing concerns. Terlaje says officers have already been issuing citations for violations — and so far, those citations have not been contested.

But he acknowledges the legal gray area. “There is just no way — and i continue to tell the officers — go out there and do what is necessary in the best interest of our community, making it safe," he said.

He adds they will continue their enforcement efforts — unless and until the courts tell them otherwise.

For lawmakers, the hearing highlighted more than just jurisdictional concerns. It underscored the need for clear policies, adequate resources, and measurable accountability — especially for officers charged with keeping Guam’s parks and shorelines safe.

As budget discussions move forward, the question now becomes whether the Park Protection Service will receive the structural and financial support it says is necessary to fully carry out its mission.