Could recent crimes at Talofofo Elementary School been prevented?

Recently Talofofo Elementary School was broken into seven days in a row. Although a man has been arrested in connection to the case, could the crime have been deterred if the Talofofo police koban had been up and running? 

Back in June, Police Chief Stephen Ignacio noted that plans were put into motion to get the southern koban stood up. A project that was made possible with the assistance of Talofofo mayor Vicente Taitague. The push to open the koban came as a result of a rash of thefts and burglaries in Hagat over the summer.

Officers were in the Inalahan-Talofofo area responding to a call and response for the officers to get to the scene in Hagat took some time, given the distance. Chief Ignacio said opening the koban, would help with response times and go a long way.

Over three months later, the koban's doors in "God's Country", remained closed but according to taitague, officers are able to use it to stop by and write up reports.

As we reported, in early September, there was  a series of break ins at Talofofo Elementary School, seven days in a row. Over a dozen classrooms broken into, with everything from snacks to Legos and even a pressure washer stolen.

Although 40-year old Paul Anthony Cruz was arrested in connection to the case, with more arrests pending, it begs the question: could the crimes at the home of the tigers been prevented if the koban was open and staffed?

"It might help," noted the chief. "But to be there every day, it's still hard right now because there is no personnel. So at least they come around and visit, do their reports, take a break, and go around the village and patrol the area."

In June, Ignacio had also mentioned with the recent sergeant promotions, GPD would have enough supervisors  to spread across the eastern side and eventually open the koban. But Ignacio is adamant they will eventually open, saying, "We're all excited to get that place open."

"I'm waiting for some furniture to get installed. I know we put up the phone lines and Internet lines, but we're having some problems with connectivity. They were up, they were down, and they weren't very reliable."

The chief also added, "It still falls in line with the Guam Police Department's plan to expand the coverage in the eastern side."

In the meantime, Mayor Taitague is appreciative of when his village does have police presence. "People feel safe because they see him around. They see the police car there and driving around. People feel safe," he said.