VI Lawmakers Call for Stronger Recruitment to Overcome Enforcement Officer Gap

During a recent Senate hearing focused on the operations of various government agencies, Senator Kenneth Gittens took a firm stance on addressing the critical shortage of enforcement officers within the territory. As the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security, Justice, and Public Safety, Gittens emphasized the need for enhanced recruitment efforts to ensure agencies are adequately staffed to meet their regulatory responsibilities.

Highlighting the urgency of the situation, Gittens pointed out the concerning staffing levels across several departments, urging agency leaders to prioritize hiring in their budget plans for the forthcoming fiscal year. He specifically addressed the Taxicab Commission, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs (DLCA), and the Department of Health (DOH), stating, “For the next budget cycle, we expect to see requests so that we can hire people.”

Discussions during the committee meeting revealed a common challenge among the agencies: severe understaffing that hampers their ability to enforce regulations effectively. For instance, the DOH’s Environmental Health Division, tasked with overseeing around 6,000 establishments, operates with just three enforcement officers, though efforts are underway to double this number. Yet, the division’s director, Wanson Harris, indicated that twelve officers would be the optimal number to fulfill their mandate effectively.

Similarly, the DLCA, with seven enforcement officers spread across two districts for monitoring over 12,000 businesses, finds itself significantly understaffed. Wilbur Francis, Director of Enforcement at DLCA, expressed a need for an additional seven officers to meet their operational needs adequately.

Senator Franklin Johnson underscored the economic implications of these staffing shortages, particularly in revenue-generating agencies like the DLCA, where insufficient personnel leads to missed opportunities for income collection.

Gittens also highlighted the critical role of Neighborhood Nuisance Officers within the DOH, advocating for the expansion of this team to address widespread issues such as abandoned vehicles and mosquito breeding in neglected pools. Currently, a solitary officer manages these concerns across the entire territory.

The DPNR and the Taxicab Commission (TCC) also face similar challenges. The DPNR operates with eleven enforcement officers, yet identifies a need for ten officers per district to improve efficiency. The TCC, meanwhile, grapples with a notable absence of enforcement officers in the St. Croix district and limited capacity in the St. Thomas/St. John district, severely restricting its enforcement capabilities.

Despite these challenges, there is a glimmer of hope as agencies like the TCC plan to bolster their ranks in the near future. Nevertheless, the current enforcement officer deficit underscores a broader issue of resource allocation and the imperative for strategic hiring to ensure the effective enforcement of the territory’s laws and regulations. With budget hearings on the horizon in June, lawmakers appear poised to support initiatives that will strengthen the enforcement workforce across the territory’s 22 agencies, demonstrating a commitment to upholding public safety and regulatory compliance.