No cops, no problem: Alaska town loses police, not order

A ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — small, isolated town at the edge of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands had no police oversight for several days after its three officers quit in quick succession, followed by the police chief ’s resignation.

The predicament that befell the remote community of Sand Point illustrates the persistent challenges of life in rural parts of the vast state, including hiring and keeping workers, officials say.

Many communities are off Alaska’s limited road system, and the cost of living expenses can be astronomical where life is far removed from the convenience of urban centers.

Just leaving Sand Point, for example, can cost more than $1,000 — the cost of a round-trip ticket to Anchorage, the state’s largest city, 600 miles away.

“It is emblematic of small, rural Alaska having problems, especially in attracting and retaining trained and qualified people, specifically for these kinds of specialized positions,” said Bob Griffiths, executive director of the Alaska Police Standards Council.

“It is not as difficult for communities who have a better financial base as it is for ones who are struggling financially — as in 90 percent of most of rural Alaska.”

The resignations took place as the town of nearly 1,000 people swelled by several hundred for the commercial fishing and processing season. But there were no big problems when officers were absent, Sand Point officials said.

The police standards council helped find an acting police chief to help out until the jobs are filled.

Two of the officers, a married couple, quit in early July, citing family issues, said City Administrator Andy Varner.

The third officer quit soon after because his military spouse was transferring out of state.

“It’s difficult in rural Alaska,” Varner said. “If you’re on an island, you can’t borrow officers from the next community.”

But the town never went without a police presence in that case.

In this month’s exodus, there were four days that the community didn’t have any officers at all.

There were “a few calls into the 911 dispatch but they were minor,” Varner said in an email.