The Assistant Chief Executive Officer of the legal Division at the Police, Lydia Lemalu Jahnke, says she is excited to bring the Police and community together in her new role. 

Moving to the Police from the Ministry of Communications, Information and Technology (M.C.I.T.), Mrs. Jahnke said the new role is “exciting” and she looks forward to developing policies to protect the Police and the public.

“This is exciting. This is a new position and a new division so I look forward to developing not only the division but contributing to the organisational goals,” she said.

“Now it’s coming under the Prisons and part of [the] L.T.A. (Land Transport Authority) so there are a lot of new areas and new fields I look forward to collaborating on and working on with the Ministry.”

She grew up in Los Angeles and is a graduate of Whittier Law School, a private law school in California and has 10 years of civil litigation experience.

“I was born in Samoa and my parents moved to California in the late 80s so that is where I grew up. I have practiced law in California for 10 years. I moved back to Samoa four years ago,” said Mrs. Jahkne.

“I have 10 years of experience in California in civil litigation which include various businesses, basically litigation which is opposite from criminal law. 

“The past four years I have worked exclusively in Government.

“I was at the Attorney General’s Office, then I was a legal officer at the Office of the Regulator then I moved on to M.C.I.T. as A.C.E.O. [of] Policy which is related to developing legislation.”

At M.C.I.T. she developed policy and legislation.

“My background is in the legal field and it relates also as part of this position in developing policy and legislation,” Mrs. Jahnke said.

“So I look forward to developing policies and guidance that would protect the office that were not previously developed before.”

“I think there needs to be very firm and concrete policies that protect the officers and the public so the Police and the public can work together as it is important the Police are viewed as service-oriented [and] here to provide protection for our community.”

She is a member of the bar associations of California and Samoa.