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Remarks by James H. McCall at a press conference to announce his appointment as Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police Department

Good Morning. It is an honor to be nominated by Gov. deJongh to serve as your Police Commissioner. Please permit me to begin by stating that I welcome the challenge. My entire career has been in law enforcement, and I believe there is no job better than being a policeman. And all of us who serve in the Police Department know one thing above all else and that is: police work, to be successful, requires teamwork. My commitment is to lead a team, I am happy to have Assistant Commissioner Francis on the team, and I would like to announce the appointment of Acting Chiefs for each of the two districts: Winsbut Mc Farlande, as Acting Chief of the St. Croix District; Milton Petersen as Acting Chief of the St. Thomas St. John District. My appointment of these two officers to serve as Acting Chiefs is but the first step in organizing, and reorganizing the VIPD so that it can indeed become a successful law enforcement team.

Gov. deJongh spoke of his commitment. I share, indeed we all share, his commitment to make our islands safe. But he has called upon me and the men and women of the VIPD to act and so I would like to take time this morning to talk about our specific action plan, much of which is already in the works. 

There are three major components in the criminal justice system: Crime Prevention, Investigation and Prosecution.

There are many tools that we can use to stem the tide of criminal activity in our community, but none are more effective than a successful relationship between the prosecutors and the police. Attorney General Frazer and I have already met and agreed that cooperation between our agencies will be the norm and not the exception. I am looking forward to working with the Attorney General who shares our mutual commitment to professional excellence.

The renewed working relationship between our two departments will allow our police officers to become more effective in establishing probable cause prior to an arrest which should increase the number of search and seizure warrants. This relationship will give the prosecutors more control as it relates to the merits of an investigation and any problems that may arise before trial. 

Believe me when I say this cooperative effort between police and prosecutors works. I have seen it work very successfully in other jurisdictions and have much confidence that it will work here. 

There is but one goal: to get the criminals off the street. With the cooperation of the Attorney General’s office and assistance from the Federal and territorial law enforcement agencies we will begin to specifically and aggressively target armed violent offenders and potential violent gangs. There is a widespread belief that the police often know who the criminals are, and that for some reason action is not taken because of who they are or who they are related to. I can assure you that all good officers in the VIPD take this accusation as an affront. I believe strongly that the police must respect the people who they are employed to protect and serve. But respect is a two-way street, and I would ask all to respect the men and women of the VIPD as professionals. If any on the force fail to meet the highest standards of professional behavior, we wish to know this and correct it. But I do not care, and I do not believe the vast majority of the force cares, who any criminal, particularly any violent criminal is, or is related to. We want to prevent crime where possible and arrest criminals efficiently and without delay. Targeting and arresting these known criminals is an initiative that has been used successfully in other places that faced the same challenges as we face here. 

It has worked in larger places such as Alberquerque, New Mexico and Washington, DC to name two areas, and the positive results were measurable.

The Virgin Islands Police Department has hard working and dedicated employees, however, in this technological society, our productivity is often measured by the tools we possess. One component that we clearly need in crime-solving is a state of the art forensics unit. We have the means to do this. This is not a dream. Among other things, we are currently establishing a partnership with the Juan Luis Hospital and the Department of Justice that will allow us to process DNA right here in the territory within three years. A modern forensic unit will allow us to do enhanced fingerprint analysis, toxicology reports, firearms and tool markings and other specialized tasks including voice analysis.

Certainly I believe the primary challenge is one that must be met locally by the VIPD and all of the residents of the Virgin Islands. But there are also several federal agencies that are on board to help us in our crime fighting endeavors. As a career federal officer, I know there is more that they do in other jurisdictions, and that with our cooperation they will do here in the territory. Without tipping our hand I will say we are in active communication with FBI, ATF, the U.S. Marshal's Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Postal Service the National Park Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration regarding crime-related issues that are plaguing our community. 

But first we must rebuild our force with well-trained officers. We can enhance our local training capacity, but first we need the people to train. To that end, we are going to hire a full time recruiter, something we don't currently have. This position will require the territory to interact with recruiters and recruiting firms to assist us in finding the best talent available to augment our Police Force. This may include the lateral transfer of police officers from other U.S. police departments that possess specialized skills.

I also want to acknowledge that we will begin without delay the negotiation of a new contract with our police union.

The Territory has experienced several high profile gun crimes that have taken place in the last couple of weeks. The most difficult task that a Police Commissioner or Chief can do is to meet with the family members of a fallen officer. On the 8th of this month, I met with the family of Officer Ariel Frett at the Schneider Regional Medical Center. And yesterday we buried Officer Frett. I hope I never have to meet an officer’s family under those circumstances again.

I also hope we never have to take a student from one of our school campuses to the hospital with gunshot wounds or arrest a student as the result of gun violence on a school campus. We will meet with school officials to brainstorm about how to stem the level of violence that is occurring on our campuses. Principals, school monitors, police officers must be involved in this effort.

There are several other actions we will take. We will re-establish the Blue Lightning Marine Unit on St. Thomas. The unit was established to patrol our shores and stem the introduction of drugs, guns, and illegal immigrants into the territory. Operation Blue Lightning will work with members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and receive extensive training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

We will be re-examining the number and placement of surveillance cameras throughout the island as these have proven an effective tool for identifying and capturing offenders.

Our neighborhood police efforts and the re-invigoration of leaders in community outreach programs will be ongoing. 

There are also a range of traffic initiatives that we will undertake to lessen the delays and aggravation caused by congestion and bad driving practices. We will make it clear to the criminal element in our community that they cannot ride around with guns, drugs or contraband with impunity.

Given the current severe limitations on manpower we will address scheduling issues so that police shifts overlap and avoid the break in coverage and protection which has been a past practice. 

We will use $1.2 million dollars from the PFA for a new and advanced 911-system Territory–wide. We will use in excess of $400, 000 from the Office of Homeland Security to purchase new and improved radio communications. This new equipment will be utilized by VIPD, VI Fire Department, Rescue, and EMS.

I would like to take a moment and thank the community for their assistance. 

Three recent homicide arrests were made as the direct result of citizens coming forward with information. We are extremely encouraged by this. We know it's not easy in a community this size for people to step forward, but it is clear that the community realizes it is essential. The Department of Justice and the VIPD have received numerous calls from individuals in the community regarding unsolved cases. The VIPD and the Attorney General’s office, together with other federal law enforcement agencies, have established a “cold case” unit which will be specifically charged with solving these open cases.

I know that the people of the Virgin Islands are saying, “We have had enough!” There is a growing understanding throughout the islands that we can only solve our problems together. You have my word that the VIPD is fully committed to its duty to protect and serve all the residents of the Virgin Islands.

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