Public Safety

Nearly a year ago, the 27th Legislature passed, and Governor John P. deJongh Jr. signed, Act 7013, which approved spending $450,000 to convert the former Wilson elementary school on St. Croix’s North Shore into a Police Substation. At this writing, the building sits abandoned and deteriorating and those funds, nearly half a million dollars, sit unused. The...
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Crime Stoppers is asking the community to help the VIPD solve the following crimes, and reminds everyone that any information, no matter how insignificant, may be just what the police need to solve these cases:  Share on Facebook
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Crime Stoppers is asking the community to help the VIPD solve the following crimes, and reminds everyone that any information, no matter how insignificant, may be just what the police need to solve these cases: Share on Facebook
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It may well be the most important post in the Territory and newly-appointed Police Commissioner Novelle E. Francis, Jr. has accepted the challenge. We all know what the problems are. Let’s declare this the beginning of the solutions. We at Crucians In Focus are offering our support and encourage the new Commissioner to feel free to...
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Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac I am going to make a case, compelling enough, for our representative in government (executive and legislative) would seriously consider. We all have been aware of the lack of consistent and efficient enforcement of our laws and regulations. In spite the fact that we have numerous agents and agencies...
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Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac  I am congratulating the de Jongh/Francis administration for their response to the recommendations of the joint report from the federal and local Inspector General report concerning the alarming situation at the Schneider Regional Medical Center. However, I am concern  that the corrective action to be taken by the administration,...
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Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac  It is our belief that had the police response to the killing of retired police sergeant Liston T. Gumbs, Sr. was more immediate and coordinated, the possibility of arresting the perpetrator would have been greater. It is possible that whoever was in charge of police operations had taken an...
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Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac  I received the sad news this Monday of the assassination of a brother in arms, a fellow Virginislander, the retired Police Sergeant Liston T. Gumbs, Sr. As I understand the circumstances of his killing, he was shot during a robbery at a grocery store in the Lindberg area on St....
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out·ra·geous 3 a: going beyond all standards of what is right or decent; violent outrageous disregard of human rights (Mirriam-Webster’s dictionary) Outrageous. That’s the only word for the cold-blooded homicide that occurred at Gov. Juan Luis Hospital Wednesday morning. Somehow, in the early morning hours, five armed, masked men entered the hospital, incapacitated a guard, threatened maintenance...
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Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac As I continue to see the manifestation of lawlessness by all segments in our community; it becomes very apparent that the current administration has not made a dent in curbing the lawlessness, in spite their much publicized incidents of arrests. What we need is a concerted effort by the...
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There was chaos at the D.C. Canegata ballpark last week when gunmen pulled off an armed robbery at the Stop and Save Store just across the street. The kids were in the middle of a game when the sound of gunfire rang out, and players and parents scattered, not knowing where the shots were coming...
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Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac Unfortunately for us the agencies in our government responsible for protecting the residents and keeping the peace seems not able to cope with the nightly discharge of all kinds of firearms. I lived in the area known as Garden Street, in the vicinity of the All Saints Cathedral and...
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Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac Yes, the question is asked, what can be done about the domestic terrorism to which the residents of the US Virgin Islands are subjected to, daily? When it is not homicides, it is robbery, rape and discharging of firearms any hour of the night and sometime in the day....
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Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac Anyone who is conscious of their surroundings, who is a casual observant, can see the lack of law enforcement in our community. The agencies and persons charged with the enforcement of our laws and regulations are blatantly derelict. Does the current administration consider law and order in our community...
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As we prepare for Governor deJongh’s 2nd State of the Territory Address, we felt it was important to remind him of the campaign promises he made to resolve the degrading crime situation in the territory. Click the play button below. Share on Facebook
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