A Wall of Silence: Despite Multiple FOIA Requests, GPD Avoids Transparency

It is absolutely unacceptable that a grieving parent must invoke the Sunshine Reform Act of 1999 just to seek answers – made even more appalling by the Guam Police Department’s continued refusal to release fundamental information about my son’s death.

From day one, the Guam Police Department failed in their duty to notify me of my son's passing. Left in the dark, I was forced to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to learn the most basic facts – who contacted the police, who was present at the scene, and what the GPD uncovered in their investigation.

Below are the dates of each FOIA request and GPD’s response:

• April 6, 2023 – FOIA request to the Guam Fire Department – received GFD report.

When I reached out to the Medical Examiner’s Office to ask how my son was identified, I was told it was through his government-issued I.D., yet the GFD log listed his name incorrectly and recorded the wrong date of birth.

• April 18, 2023 – FOIA request to the Guam Police Department – received a redacted call log.

  
  

• September 11, 2023 – FOIA request to Guam Police Department – GPD responded next day. Response:

  

  
  

• September 22, 2023 – FOIA request to Guam Police Department by my attorney – GPD responded September 27, 2023. Response:

• November 29, 2023 – FOIA request to Guam Police Department by my attorney after GPD said they were willing to make information available in response to written questions – GPD responded December 6, 2023. Response:

• July 12, 2024 – FOIA request to Guam Police Department by my attorney – GPD responded July 15, 2024 asking for an extension. Response:

We took their request for an extension as a sign that information might finally be forthcoming. But what we received on July 26, 2024, was deeply disappointing. Response:

You begin to lose any confidence that the Guam Police Department will ever be held accountable, but you know you can’t back down. We sought the assistance of Senator Chris Barnett, then Chairperson for the Committee on Public Safety.

• December 13, 2024 – Senator Chris Barnett sent a FOIA request – GPD responded December 16, 2024 asking for an extension.

GPD failed to respond and missed the FOIA extension deadline.

• January 24, 2025 – Senator Barnett sent a letter seeking an explanation for GPD’s request for an extension and their subsequent failure to respond. Below are key excerpts from the letter:

GPD responded on January 31, 2025 to December 13, 2024 FOIA request:

All FOIA denials bear the signature of Chief Stephen Ignacio. Why did he not uphold the law by meeting the FOIA deadline for the Senator’s request, and why did the FOIA responses not explain how the exemption applies to the request? Simply citing the regulations itself is not sufficient. Chief Ignacio mentioned at a meeting on June 28 that he would lay it out to me – he will try to answer all my questions – he will be as forthright as he can be. He said, 'there’s no need for us to hide anything from you. You are the family.'

Chief Ignacio said all that before he reviewed the case report (which should include gunshot residue distance determination, crime scene diagrams and photos, chronological records, witness statements, evidence logs, and suspect information). Rather than meeting with him the following week, as he agreed, my next meeting took place two months and twenty-six days later. This time, he was not trying to build my trust. He was stonewalling – raising a wall of silence, as evident in his FOIA responses.