30 Jul 2003

Guam police anger rises over unpaid allowances

3:26 pm on 30 July 2003

The Guam Police Department says officers are suffering from low morale because they have not been paid overtime since December totalling 1-POINT-8 million US dollars.

The staff assistant at police headquarters, Lieutenant Leon Ryan, says the department has appealed to the government to obtain funds from different sources so the officers can be paid.

Lieutenant Ryan says the department has asked senators to appropriate money from the Judicial Building Fund, but some senators have said there are restrictions on the use of the fund.

He says fines from misdemeanours could also be directed to pay for the overtime.

Lieutentant Ryan says officers are not enjoying their jobs.

"There is no doubt that a great number of officers are unhappy about the fact that they're not getting their overtime pay on time, but the officers out there are very dedicated and they understand the economic situation we're going through, but I have to say there is a certain amount of frustration."

Lieutenant Leon Ryan.