Alaska town loses police officers back to back, but not order
A 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, where cost-of-living expenses can be astronomical and life is far removed from the convenience of urban centres.
Just leaving Sand Point, for example, can cost more than $1,000 — the cost of a roundtrip 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 specialised 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% 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. An acting police chief arrived last week to help out until the jobs are filled.
None of the officers had been employed for more than five months. They were all new because the town faced a similar situation earlier this year, when three officers and a retiring chief left soon after each other, Varner said. AP