Government

Mapp Announces New NYPD-VIPD Partnership At Cruise Industry Conference, Will Launch Police Training Program In Local High Schools

During a speech Tuesday at the Seatrade Cruise Global conference in Miami, Gov. Kenneth Mapp -- as part of his ongoing efforts to push forward the territory's tourism product -- announced a new partnership between the Government of the Virgin Islands and the New York Police Department (NYPD) to help combat the rise in violent crime on the islands. "We're going to do the very same thing that other communities have done to make safety and security in the Virgin Islands a very high priority," Mapp told an audience of cruise industry professionals. Mapp's remarks were given in the context of assuring cruise line officials of the safety of their passengers while visiting the territory. However, while he noted this new focus on security would be beneficial to the territory's visitors, he said it would be more so "for us, the people that live and work in the Virgin Islands." With that, Mapp outlined the nature of the government's  partnership with the NYPD. "And so, w...