Government

Damning Assessment Of VIPD Finds Lack Of Homicide Data, Low Morale Caused By Poor Compensation And Consent Decree Confusion

ST. THOMAS -- The Virgin Islands Police Department is in need of serious, focused change in almost all important segments of its operations, a $300,000 assessment performed by T&M Protection Resources, LLC has found. The results of the evaluation were revealed at the first 2016 Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety and Justice hearing held at the Earl B. Ottley Legislative Hall here on Thursday. The findings, simply put, are damning. The assessment unearths major deficiencies within the VIPD that have kept the force from achieving its primary goal of effectively protecting residents, and brings to the fore a troubling norm within the force about the consent decree that has stymied effective policing efforts. But the biggest culprit of the VIPD's lack of effectual policing, according to the findings, is the absence of adequate compensation, with officers in the territory being grossly underpaid compared to their US mainland counterparts. All these issues combined brought th...