Legislature Corner: Action Required to Curb Gun Violence

Sen. Kenneth L. Gittens (Photo by Barry Leerdam, V.I. Legislature)

As the Virgin Islands Carnival approaches, Sen. Kenneth L. Gittens is calling on the executive branch to assist the V.I. Police Department.

Senator Gittens, who chairs the 35th Legislature’s Committee on Homeland Security, Justice and Public Safety, said Friday that immediate action is necessary to curb the recent spate of gun violence.

“I am urging the chief executive to initiate a redeployment plan and pool all available law enforcement resources under the VIPD for the next 90 days,” Gittens said. “As a career law enforcement officer and a student of policing and criminal justice, I can say that we need to aggressively address the crisis of gun violence head-on with the full force of all our resources.”

Gittens said his committee stands ready to assist from a legislative standpoint.

“We have trained officers in many of our agencies that can offer a great deal of support and keeping our community safe must be the priority,” he concluded.