by Jolene Toves

Guam - The Guam Police Department currently only has ten working patrol vehicles to respond to emergencies around the island. The Southern Precinct and Hagatna Precinct only have two apiece while Tumon-Tamuning and Dededo have three each. The lack of working vehicles makes each day more challenging as many of the fleet that are still working are breaking day from 24/7 use.

Acting GPD Chief Colnnel Maurice Sayama said, "As we have been receiving funds identified to purchasing vehicles our biggest hinderance is we just can't go to the nearest outlet and say, 'Hey, I like that car.' Police vehicles are unique and they are created for the purpose of doing our specific job."

With crime on the rise, the department's need for additional vehicles is greatly increased.

"Recently we have been set back usually takes about six to nine months to get a vehicle fleet any vehicle that we purchase for our job so currently we are working with the front office to rectify the issue with the bid protest, we don't know where that is at this point," Sayama said.

That protest has delayed the order of eight customized Police Interceptor vehicles. According to Lieutenant Mike Archangel, Triple J was originally awarded the bid but GSA pulled the contract after a protest was filed by Cars Plus. The protest surrounds the specific wording of warrant covery on the 2013 and 2014 Interceptor sedan models.

A rebid was suppose to begin however a second protest was filed by Triple J Motors, who argue that they should be given the bid since arrangements were already made with the company's manufacture for the production of ten police vehicles.

Colonel Sayama says once the protest is over it will take an additional six months at a minimum to get vehicles in and then ready to go on the streets. But for now GPD is resorting to the bandaid approach. He explained, "We have a second set of funding that has been identified that is going in as well so will we get it soon no our immediate action is to try to repair these cars as the go down but as we all know it's a band aid approach at this time as some of the cars are so aged that some of the repairs we do are just not sufficient enough."

While the Tumon Precinct has seen various donations of vehicles our island's precincts are still left to share police vehicles, leaving GPD to anxiously awaiting new vehicles and hoping that the gratitude shown to the Tumon Precinct can be extended to others as well.