Plans by American Samoa's public safety commissioner to have selected police officers trained by the US Army's Military Police Group have hit a snag.
The commissioner, Save Liuato Tuitele, a former military police criminal investigator, has sought to establish a local criminal intelligence unit to collect, catalogue and analyse information that can be used by police to solve crime.
Save had hoped to have two officers attached to the military police to learn how such a programme would work, but he's been told the officers will have to pass top secret military clearance before they can be accepted.
He says this will be very difficult and is hoping the police department in Hawaii's capital, Honolulu, will be able to help because that police force used to have a programme with the military.
American Samoa police headquarters Photo: Supplied