Governor Togiola disappointed with the use of new police vehicles
Last September, Governor Togiola Tulafono signed into law legislation appropriating $120K to purchase four new police vehicles to assist local police officers in performing their “critical duties” of serving and protecting the community.
Less than six months after the fact, the Governor is now beginning to question his decision.
In response to a caller who addressed the issue during his weekend radio program, Togiola expressed disappointment with the fact that the four new sport utility vehicles (SUV) that recently arrived in the territory are not being used by police officers – as was the intended purpose – but instead, being used by top law enforcement officials.
(One of the vehicles bears a yellow license plate that reads “Commissioner” and driven by DPS Commissioner Sotoa Savali).
Togiola said that if he had known beforehand that this was going to happen, he would never have signed the allocation bill into law. And while DPS officials are driving around in the new black SUVs, Togiola pointed out that Manu’a is still in need of a police vehicle.
When Chief Procurement Officer Laau Seui handed the keys to the new vehicles to Deputy Police Commissioner Filifa’atali Mike Fuiava last month, Filifa’atali specifically said that the new vehicles were requested so police officers can better serve the public and perform their jobs. He added that the DPS needed the vehicles in order to perform what the public demands of them, and they anticipate using the new cars for the purpose of serving the people and government of American Samoa.
However, complaints have been voiced from members of the general public who have noticed that the new vehicles are not being driven by police officers but instead, the higher ups at DPS.
The Governor said that he is working to address the issue, adding that he has received word regarding a number of DPS vehicles sitting idly in auto body repair shops in Nu’uuli, Tafuna, the ASG compound, and even the area next to the Territorial Correctional Facility (TCF) in Tafuna.
Togiola said there is no clarification as to why this is happening to police vehicles but he intends to get to the bottom of this sooner than later.
Funding for the new police vehicles came from the special Law Enforcement Rehabilitation Act which was created six years ago and funded with the $10 fees collected from traffic citations.
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