Guam Attorney General Douglas Moylan says his office’s billboards are designed to inform, deter, and spark conversation. Since 2023, the rotating signs have appeared at major intersections in Dededo, Barrigada, and Hagåtña, covering issues ranging from drug use and gun violence to deportation and parental discipline.
But after nearly three years, some residents and legal experts are questioning whether the billboards raise awareness and deter crime, or create division within the community.
Moylan says the billboards are meant to reach residents during everyday moments, particularly during their daily commute. They are set along major intersections at Paseo, the Barrigada Tri-intersection, and on Route 10A Airport Road. He described the billboards as a way to directly communicate with the public and encourage discussion around crime and community safety.
Moylan also describes the billboards as both educational and deterrent, intended to discourage criminal activity by publicly highlighting arrests and prosecutions. He has referred to himself as “the toughest AG on crime,” and several of the billboards have featured mugshots of individuals arrested or convicted of crimes.
In one interview, Moylan said the goal was to “scare the criminals, so that they know that, if we catch you, this is what’s going to happen to you,” calling it a form of deterrence.
However, public messaging from elected officials can draw differing reactions, particularly in Guam’s diverse community.
Kaitlin Bautista, a graduate of Guam Community College and current advertising student at the University of Guam, said one deportation-themed billboard stood out to her because of how it depicted Pacific Islanders, or more specifically, Micronesians.
The billboard featured a plain black background and an image with a brown-skinned cartoon man with a braided rat-tail hairstyle, a gapped smile and a suitcase. Overlaying him was a large red slash symbol with the word “PURGED.”
She expressed that the messaging, and the cartoon image of what she believed to be a Micronesian man, leaves room for confusion.
“I think in a political sense, the way you convey messages in advertising is really sensitive, especially as someone who is a public figure in the eyes of the community,” Bautista said. “It’s so easy for the community to misunderstand or not convey the message that you want, especially because Guam is essentially a melting pot of different cultures.”
Bautista said she felt the imagery conveyed a feeling of disdain for a certain group.
“It creates a stereotype for communities, and I feel like we shouldn’t push those stereotypes, because there are a lot of good people out there. It pushes a mindset on people, especially kids. It feels so belittling,” she said.
According to the Office of the Attorney General, each billboard costs approximately $920 to print and install. With three major billboard locations updated simultaneously, the monthly costs can exceed $2,700.
According to the Attorney General Office’s 2026 Fiscal Year budget presentation, Moylan has released 26 billboards since 2023.
Supporters of the billboards argue that they increase awareness of crime and public safety issues.
Critics, however, question whether public shaming and fear-based messaging are effective long-term strategies.
Frank Ishizaki, a criminal justice professor at the University of Guam and retired FBI supervisory special agent, said public embarrassment may not deter repeat offenders.
“When people first get arrested, they’re embarrassed, they’re ashamed,” Ishizaki said. “If you’re dealing with a chronic criminal, as they say in CHamoru, ‘esta ti masa’senti,’ they don’t feel it.”
Ishizaki noted that people commit crimes for a variety of reasons and said rehabilitation is often more effective than shame-based messaging when trying to reduce repeat offenses.
Moylan is running for a third term. For him, the billboards display his efforts to separate the criminals from the law abiding citizens. “To be the toughest attorney general on crime is to say to the people that this attorney general will focus upon separating the criminals from the law abiding and innocent residents of Guam.” Moylan says that he uses the word “residents” very carefully because for him he says, “this is not about citizenship. It’s about having the ability to enjoy peace, harmony and the fruition of what it means to live in the United States.”
Recently, the controversy surrounding the billboards has entered the courts.
Attorney and former senator Tom Fisher recently filed a lawsuit against Moylan over the
April billboard. Fisher is also running against Moylan in the upcoming attorney general election.
The billboard at the center of the lawsuit featured a version of the Ten Commandments, a depiction of the prophet Moses dressed in court attire and mugshots of convicted criminals.
Fisher argues the billboards violate constitutional protections separating church and state.
“The government can’t get in the business of praying,” Fisher said.
He also argues that taxpayer money should not be used to promote religious messaging.
“To put those up there is an endorsement of a particular religious speech which is prohibited by the Constitution,” Fisher said. “So I’m suing.”
Despite the criticism, Moylan maintains the billboards are intended to unify the community and encourage discussion about social issues and crime prevention.
Moylan says the messages are “meant to wake people up to the problems” that he sees in the community and to “bring us together as a people.”
Whether residents view the billboards as public education, political messaging, or something in between depends on the message itself and the audience receiving it.
