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CID commander appointed as assistant chief

Criminal Investigation Division Commander, Lavata’i Taase Sagapolutele, has been appointed as Assistant Chief of Police in addition to his responsibilities with the CID, according to a memorandum issued recently by Commissioner of Public Safety, William Haleck.

 

This appointment has raised a lot of eyebrows at DPS, and high ranking officers say that  the position should have been advertised internally so that all captains and lieutenants could  apply. Commissioner Haleck, upon hearing this, pointed out that high ranking officers with DPS who challenge this appointment should come see him directly, so they can sort things out — but “don’t go to the media.”

 

Haleck further explained that appointing Lavata’i as Assistant Chief of Police is not a promotion, and his salary will not be increased rather “he’s appointed as Assistant Chief” to assist the Chief of Police Vaimaga Maiava in his efforts to move the department forward.

 

The Commissioner states in the memorandum, to “further improve and enhance our services, effective immediately (June 19, 2014) Commander Lavata’i Taase Sagapolutele will now also serve as Assistant Chief of Police, in addition to his existing duties and responsibilities as CID Commander.”

 

Sagapolutele will serve in his capacity as Commander and will assist the Chief of Police in the daily operations of the Police Services Bureau. “In the absence of the Chief of Police, he shall serve as Acting Chief of Police, on the basis pertaining to the paramilitary operational structure of Command Line and Line Responsibility. “

 

According to this memo, Captain Moleli Tavai is assigned to the Fagatogo Police station and shall report to the Chief of Police for assignment.

 

“For clarification purposes as discussed with the Chief of Police, the specific assignment pertaining to Captain Moleli Tavai is that he will oversee the daily operations of the Patrol Division in Fagatogo as directed by the Chief of Police in the same capacity as the other captains assigned to the Tafuna and Leone Police substations.”

 

Samoa News understands that when the first memo came out on Captain Tavai —  appointing him to the Central police station on Wednesday — other ranking officers assumed that Tavai was appointed to Assistant Chief of Police, however that was not the case. The next day, Haleck issued the latest memo appointing CID Commander Sagapolutele as Assistant Chief of Police.

 

Sagapolutele has been working with DPS for over 25 years. Before he came to DPS, he was a teacher in Samoa and also served in the US Army. He started with DPS as a patrol officer, and made his way up the ranks. He has also headed the Traffic Division, and overseen the Internal Affairs Unit. He is currently head of CID.

 

Also according to this latest memo, Haleck assigned Si’isi’iae Iese to dispatcher duties and she is to report to the Chief of Police for assignment. The Chief of police is to ensure that Iese strictly adheres to the written order in that her “specific assignment and duties are that of a dispatcher, and that this assignment is not temporary.”

 

Haleck said to further reiterate, Iese “shall be assigned to a shift watch commander like the other dispatchers and she shall go through shift rotations like any other dispatcher.”