The Administration has put out an urgent call for the Office of Samoan Affairs as well as American Samoa top traditional leaders to mobilize all residents, especially village majors and village police, to work closely with the Department of Public Safety to bring peace and harmony following Sunday’s shooting of a police vehicle that resulted in a police officer being injured.

The call was made by both Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga and Lt. Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga during a meeting held yesterday with Police Chief Tauese Va’aomala Sunia, Deputy Attorney General Mitzie Jessop, and other ASG officials.

Also in attendance was Secretary of Samoan Affairs Satele Galu Satele Sr., Western District Governor Lualemaga Faoa, Manu’a District Governor Misaalefua Hudson and a handful of cabinet directors as well as senior staff of the Governor’s Office.

Leone traditional leader Fai’ivae Alex Godinet also attended the meeting, where the governor’s chief of staff, Fiu Johnny Saelua, who is a chief from Leone, noted that two of the three officers who were in the police car at the time of the shooting are from Leone, while the other — that was injured — is from Iliili.

The media was invited and were told it was a news conference pertaining to the shooting — however reporters, who arrived just after 10a.m yesterday, found the meeting already in progress, and there was no news conference afterwards. As a result, reporters weren’t able to ask questions.

Lemanu recalled for those in attendance that the governor had mentioned earlier in the meeting that the shooting has affected the entire territory and there is a need for the community as-a-whole to work and stand together to protect our island community.

The Lt. Governor told the traditional leaders present at the meeting that their support in getting the community together, as well as for the Office of Samoan Affairs working with the village councils is needed because the government cannot do it alone.

He said one individual can’t do it alone, nor can just one village, “but everyone needs to work together, come together to work for the betterment and the protection of American Samoa.”

Lemanu went on to point out that one officer was injured in the shooting, and “we don’t know what will happen tomorrow... as this officer has a family, he has a village” and with Samoan families, if a brother is hurt, the entire family and village will get involved later.

He said that what’s needed immediately is ensuring that the shooting will not result in more serious troubles ahead for the territory and the community — and he asked traditional leaders to get involved to help make the situation calmer, so things do not get worse.

“We all have to work towards bringing peace and harmony. That’s very important,” Lemanu said at least three times.

He also said that other ASG entities must be involved; for example, those that shold provide counseling for the injured officer as well as the other two officers. Lemanu said no one knows the physical impact such a shooting will have upon these three individuals, and the necessary government services must be provided to help them deal with this incident.

According to Lemanu, the injured officer will take time to recover and he will probably end up at a desk job. He said he based this assessment on seeing military personnel injured in war, and the chance of returning to the field is less likely after a serious injury.

Lolo urged the traditional leaders to get their district’s support, in order to work with the government. He further encouraged the leaders to utilize “our Samoan culture, our Samoan fa’aaloalo, as a way to reach out to the community and bring peace to American Samoa.”

The governor said he will also seek out a meeting with traditional leaders of the Eastern District to share with them the same message that he and Lemanu relayed in this meeting.

He then told his chief legal counsel, Steven Watson and Deputy Attorney General Mitzie Jessop to start looking into local laws dealing with police and crimes in American Samoa, and see what needs to be changed, and provide him with the information for review.

Lemanu announced that the issues discussed yesterday and other information being gathered will be presented during another group meeting tomorrow and it is to include those who deal with border patrol, such as Customs and Immigration.

Of interest, American Samoa is dealing with violence toward its police force, while in the U.S., police brutality has become a rallying cry for better law enforcement, with the deaths of several black youth at the hands of police highlighting the issue.

In the meantime, the next local police academy is set to start next month, with 16 cadets.

Eleven candidates who have already passed the written test and other requirements will be part of the academy, joined by two agents from the Customs Division of the Treasury Department and three employees of the Dept. of Homeland Security.

The start of the police academy has been delayed for several months now, after hundreds of potential cadets failed to pass the entrance exam, the initial step for recruitment.

Samoa News understands that the police academy will commence the week after New Year’s day.