USVI Public Records

Document text

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY, JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY 08/04/2026-SPECIAL ORDERED TO THE FLOOR BILL NO. 36-0332 Thirty-Sixth Legislature of the Virgin Islands July 21, 2026 An act creating a temporary law enforcement integration initiative to increase police manpower, enhance public safety operations, and reduce violent crime throughout the Virgin Islands PROPOSED BY: Senators Kenneth L. Gittens and Franklin D. Johnson Sponsors: Angel L. Bolques, Jr., Dwayne M. DeGraff, Ray Fonseca, Milton E. Potter, Novelle E. Francis, Jr., Marvin A. Blyden, Clifford A. Joseph, Sr., Avery L. Lewis, Kurt A. Vialet, Hubert L. Frederick and Alma Francis Heyliger WHEREAS, the Government of the Virgin Islands has a fundamental responsibility to 1 protect the lives, safety, and property of residents and visitors throughout the Virgin Islands; 2 WHEREAS, the Virgin Islands has experienced an alarming increase in violent crime, 3 including homicides, shootings, armed robberies, carjackings, and firearm-related offenses; 4 WHEREAS, approximately 22 homicides have occurred throughout the Virgin Islands 5 during the current year, with incidents occurring in both the St. Croix district and the St. 6 Thomas-St. John district; 7 WHEREAS, approximately seven homicides occurred within a span of ten days, 8 reflecting an unacceptable escalation of violent criminal activity; 9 2 WHEREAS, numerous reports of armed robberies and carjackings have heightened 1 concerns among residents, businesses, and visitors regarding public safety; 2 WHEREAS, testimony, public statements, and operational assessments indicate that 3 district police commanders continue to face manpower shortages that limit their ability to 4 provide adequate patrol coverage and proactive policing operations; 5 WHEREAS, various agencies and instrumentalities of the Government of the Virgin 6 Islands employ certified law enforcement officers possessing arrest powers and law 7 enforcement training; 8 WHEREAS, the Legislature of the Virgin Islands finds that during periods of elevated 9 violent crime, the Government should maximize the deployment of available sworn law 10 enforcement personnel to public-facing operational assignments; 11 WHEREAS, the Legislature further finds that temporarily integrating available 12 territorial law enforcement resources under a unified command structure will increase police 13 visibility, strengthen crime suppression efforts, improve response capabilities, and enhance 14 public confidence in law enforcement; and 15 WHEREAS, this act is intended as a temporary emergency public safety measure and 16 may not be construed as permanently altering the structure or authority of any territorial law 17 enforcement agency; Now, Therefore, 18 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands: 19 SECTION 1. (a) There is established a Temporary Law Enforcement Integration 20 Initiative for the purpose of increasing law enforcement visibility, enhancing public safety 21 operations, reducing violent crime, and maximizing the utilization of available law enforcement 22 3 personnel throughout the Virgin Islands. This initiative remains effective for an initial period 1 of 90 days and may be extended as provided under subsection (f)(2). 2 (b) Certified law enforcement officers employed by an independent agency or 3 autonomous instrumentality of the Government of the Virgin Islands may be assigned only 4 through a written agreement between the Virgin Islands Police Department and the agency or 5 entity that employs the officer and are temporarily assigned to the operational command of the 6 Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police Department. All officers assigned under this act 7 shall perform their duties in their prescribed law enforcement uniform or such uniform as 8 approved by the Commissioner. Nothing in this act effects an officer’s salary, overtime rights, 9 benefits, seniority, retirement, union rights, grievance rights, or other employment protections. 10 Officers assigned under this act retain their existing salary, rank, benefits, retirement status, and 11 employment rights. The following personnel are exempt from the provisions of this act: 12 (1) officers and personnel of the Bureau of Corrections; 13 (2) marshals of the Supreme and Superior Courts of the Virgin Islands; and 14 (3) any officer specifically exempted by the Governor upon a written finding that 15 the exemption is necessary to preserve essential governmental operations. 16 (c) The Commissioner shall maximize the deployment of sworn personnel to patrol, 17 crime suppression, traffic enforcement, robbery suppression, firearm interdiction, community 18 policing, and related public safety functions. The Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police 19 Department shall assign integrated personnel to the Chief of Police for the St. Croix district and 20 the Chief of Police for the St. Thomas-St. John district, respectively. District Police Chiefs 21 shall exercise operational supervision over all personnel. Not later than 15 days of enactment 22 date of this act, the Commissioner shall review all sworn personnel assigned throughout the 23 4 Virgin Islands Police Department. All available sworn personnel must be reassigned to 1 operational field duties, except for the following: 2 (1) Internal Affairs personnel; 3 (2) personnel assigned to federally mandated functions; and 4 (3) personnel assigned to critical operational functions determined by the 5 Commissioner to be necessary for continuity of operations. 6 (d) Not later than 15 days after the enactment of this act, each District Police Chief 7 shall prepare and submit a deployment plan to the Commissioner. The Commissioner shall 8 approve, modify, or reject any deployment plan. Each deployment plan must include strategies 9 for: 10 (1) enhanced patrol operations; 11 (2) crime suppression initiatives; 12 (3) traffic enforcement operations; 13 (4) community policing efforts; 14 (5) robbery and carjacking reduction strategies; 15 (6) firearm interdiction initiatives; 16 (7) directed patrols in high-crime areas; 17 (8) staffing plans for eastern and western operational zones within each district; 18 and 19 (9) strategies designed to maximize police visibility and rapid response 20 capabilities. 21 (e) The Commissioner shall submit monthly reports to the Governor and the 22 Legislature of the Virgin Islands detailing: 23 5 (1) personnel assignments; 1 (2) deployment activities; 2 (3) arrest and traffic citation statistics, inclusive of health, fire, and licensing 3 citations; 4 (4) firearm recoveries; 5 (5) robbery and carjacking statistics; 6 (6) homicide statistics; 7 (7) overtime expenditures; 8 (8) crime trend analysis; and 9 (9) recommendations for continuation or modification of the initiative. 10 (f)(1) Not later than 90 days after implementation of this initiative, the Commissioner 11 shall submit a comprehensive assessment of the initiative to the Governor and Legislature. The 12 assessment must address: 13 (A) crime reduction outcomes; 14 (B) operational effectiveness; 15 (C) personnel utilization; 16 (D) community impact; and 17 (E) recommendations regarding continuation or termination. 18 (2) Following the initial 90-day assessment, the Governor may: 19 (A) terminate the initiative and return all personnel to their originating agencies; 20 or 21 (B) extend the initiative for not more than an additional 90 days. 22 6 (g) Unless otherwise authorized by law, this initiative terminates 180 days after its 1 enactment. Upon expiration or termination of this act, all personnel assigned under this act shall 2 immediately return to their originating agencies and resume their regular duties and 3 responsibilities. 4 BILL SUMMARY 5 This bill establishes a temporary territory-wide law enforcement integration initiative to 6 address rising violent crime, homicides, armed robberies, and carjackings in the Virgin Islands. 7 The measure temporarily reassigns available law enforcement officers from territorial agencies 8 to the operational command of the Virgin Islands Police Department for not less than 90 days 9 and may be extended for an additional 90 days. Unless otherwise authorized by law, this 10 initiative may not be effective for more than 180 days. The bill requires the reassignment of 11 available sworn VIPD personnel to field operations, mandates district deployment plans, 12 increases police visibility through uniformed patrols, and requires monthly reporting and a 13 formal 90-day assessment. Upon completion of the initiative, all officers return to their 14 respective agencies. 15 BR26-1192/July 10, 2026/SLR 16