Nov. 14, 2007 — A lack of leadership, federal assistance and funding has helped sink the territory's Drug Enforcement Bureau, whose agents pleaded with senators Wednesday to assist in reorganizing the agency's structure and provide the money needed to fill critical leadership positions.
During the first half of Wednesday's Public Safety and Homeland Security meeting, representatives from the V.I. Retired Police Organization also highlighted ongoing problems within the V.I. Police Department, and said members of the organization should be used to help combat some of the territory's current crime issues.
The organization's president, Joseph "Tippy" Evans, said he has sent a letter to Police Commissioner James H. McCall and Gov. John deJongh Jr. explaining that his membership has the expertise needed to supplement the department's ranks, assisting in areas ranging from forensics to burglary cases. The organization has not yet received a response to the letter, Evans added, and is still waiting to see whether its members could be of service to the department.
"I don't think anyone in this community should have to beg in order to help out around here," he said. "We're ready. We have members from every branch of law enforcement, and their skills can be utilized to solve some of the problems we see today."
Evans and other members of the organization said VIPD has "lost the public's trust" over the years, and has to work on rebuilding its relationships with community members. A surefire way to create such a bond is to put more officers on the streets, Evans said, and make sure they tone down their hostility when talking to residents.
When contacted after the meeting, McCall said he agrees there is a need to supply officers with more customer-service training. The VIPD has already begun negotiations with at least one company qualified to do so, he said.
McCall added that he has already asked the territory's police chiefs and the VIPD's assistant commissioner to reach out to retirees who could be of assistance to the department.
"The reason that I asked these individuals is because they are more familiar with the product of the retirees and their skill sets," McCall said. "In fact, we have retirees that are going through the process of coming on board right now as we speak."
The territory's Drug Enforcement Bureau (DEB) is also mired in public mistrust, senators said during the second half of Wednesday's hearing. However, DEB agents said they shouldn't continue to be punished for mistakes the agency has made in the past, and should instead be seen as an integral component of the law-enforcement community.
"In every agency you're going to have good people and bad people," said Special Agent Jay Watson, who referenced controversial allegations brought against agents in the former Narcotics Strike Force. "What you need to do is weed out the bad people and move on, not use it as an excuse to continue to downgrade the agency."
Watson and other agents said they were "begging" senators for some assistance in revamping the bureau's leadership structure. It has been without a director for the past 10 years. The problem is primarily a lack of funding, as the implementation of budget cuts over the years has impeded DEB's operations, said Meridith Nielson, drug policy advisor to the governor.
After about four hours of debate, senators said they had noticed a more alarming trend within the bureau: a division between Nielsen and the agents that they said needed to be fixed. However, Nielsen explained that existing laws governing the bureau and the Law Enforcement Planning Commission (LEPC) — of which he is the director — are ambiguous, and don’t break down exactly what his responsibilities are.
"LEPC and the Drug Enforcement Bureau are two different agencies," he said. "So when the question is posed to me about what my job is, I have to say that the legislation is poorly written. It has no meaning — it's nonsensical. Under LEPC, my responsibility is to get funding for law enforcement and after-school programs. But the bureau does not have a director. There has not been a director in 10 years — there's just no funding for it."
The lack of funding has also led to discrepancies in salary structure, said Senior Agent Joseph B. Angol, who has worked with the Bureau for more than a decade. Angol explained that his salary has been the same since 1992, though newer agents have been able to come on and receive higher pay. Other agents said that without money, they have not been able to carry out their duties, and sometimes had to fund projects — such as carrying out a drug bust — out of their own pockets.
Senators said they found the testimony "disturbing," and asked Nielsen to tighten his reins over the agency and work more cohesively with the agents.
"This agency needs some attention — it needs to be brought together," said committee chairwoman Sen. Carmen W. Wesselhoft. "I don't like the division here, and I know the agents don't like it, either. So I'm asking Mr. Nielsen today to reach out to all your agents, intelligence officers. That's the only way this agency is going to reach to the top. Can you make that promise?"
In response, Nielsen stressed that his job focuses on bringing in federal funding for law enforcement and other agencies throughout the territory.
"The time will come when the appropriate person will be in place, someone who can pull this whole thing together," he said. "This is not about Nielsen — this is not Nielsen's job. This is about the Narcotics Strike Force, or the Drug Enforcement Bureau, and moving it forward."
Present during Wednesday's hearing were Sens. Carlton "Ital" Dowe, Norman Jn Baptiste, Ronald E. Russell, Wesselhoft, Celestino A. White Sr. and Alvin L. Williams. Sen. Liston Davis was absent.
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