Legislative Findings and Intent

(a)I Liheslaturan Guåhan finds that, compared to every other law enforcement agency on Guam, the Guam Police Department

(GPD)faces the most significant retention problem. Factors that cause this retention problem include:

(1)higher pay offered by federal agencies both on Guam and abroad;

(2)GPD officers as members of Guam’s premier law enforcement agency are subject to heavier workloads and more responsibilities than most of their law enforcement counterparts;

(3)physical and mental stress; and

(4)frequent long-hour shifts.

(b)I Liheslaturan Guåhan further finds that there are no single best practices for police officer retention policies, however, many retention programs often contain the following:

(1)bonuses at three (3)-year intervals;

(2)bonuses that range between ten percent (10%) and fifteen percent (15%) of base pay;

(3)continuing education in law enforcement, criminal justice, and community relations; and

(4)compliance with the drug testing and substance abuse policies of the department and public law.

(c)It is the intent of I Liheslaturan Guåhan to authorize the Guam Police Department to offer triennial retention bonuses to its uniformed police officers who fulfill the conditions of this Article.