Touted as Guam's premier law enforcement agency, is the Guam Police Department receiving stellar reviews when it comes to making villages feel safe? Some mayors sounded off on the lack of patrol cars and visibility in the neighborhoods.

Dededo Vice-Mayor Peter Benavente said, “It's a big concern between the village of Dededo and Yigo, with the Dededo precinct, they got a ground to cover…I feel for the guys over there. With the shortage of cars and the ground they have to cover here.” 

Benavente is referring to the shortage of GPD patrol vehicles. Tamuning Mayor Louise Rivera shared the same sentiment.

“It's very concerning with the Guam Police Department who respond to these emergencies- so many things going on around the community,” said Rivera. 

Last week KUAM reported the alarming numbers obtained through a FOIA request. Among the four police precincts in Sinajana, Hagat, Tumon, and Dededo, it was listed that only 20 patrol vehicles were working out of 60 cars. 

As of Monday, there were only three patrol cars in Hagat and Tumon, five in Dededo and Sinajana.

Benavente recalled one evening he was patrolling through the village and he came across an officer from the Dededo precinct.

He said, “I was asking him casually, I said, brother, how many are on duty right now? And he's like, 5…With a lack of vehicles, lack of manpower, it really hurts. We get calls here at the office or on our phones that GPD is not responding, they're like, vice-mayor we have a situation over here. And we tell them if it's a dire emergency we tell them to call 9-1-1.”

Both Rivera and Benavente said their villages have been amazingly proactive in helping deter criminal activity due in part to active community group chats on WhatsApp.

Rivera said, “Neighbors watching neighbors, helping each other, be on the lookout…If GPD can't respond, it's just us here our vice-mayor, our staff who respond to things.”

And although many requests for more patrolling are made from the mayors

“If GPD is not able to, of course we like to know all this going on with them so we can keep our community informed,” added Rivera.