City of Houston begins building police department

JOHN DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

HOUSTON -- If you thought you could speed through the Houston-Willow area without the risk of getting pulled over, think again.

The city of Houston has hired former Alaska State Trooper John Rysheck to build a professional police department for the city. Rysheck, only 30 years old, says the task of building a police force from the ground up has been a huge learning experience.

"As a trooper, they gave me everything I needed, I just had to work," Rysheck said from his small office in the Houston Fire Department building. "Now I know what's involved. You can't just make a phone call and have someone send you a patch or a radar; it's a pretty involved process. I had to wait six weeks for my radar."

But plans are coming along apace, Rysheck says. His police cruiser -- purchased from the Anchorage Police Department -- is finally outfitted and ready to roll. The cruiser has the same logos and paint as Anchorage Police cruisers, but with "Houston" instead of "Anchorage" on the sides of the vehicle.

Rysheck plans to add two more officers and two more cruisers next year and is currently interviewing applicants. By February, he will have hired a recruit to attend the police academy in Sitka.

Tentatively, the new officer will begin patrolling in August 2005, at which time Rysheck will send another recruit to Sitka. By December 2005, Rysheck plans to have three full-time officers, including himself, and three patrol cars. While his recruit is in the police academy, Rysheck plans to purchase and outfit another police cruiser -- one with an original logo scheme.

Houston Mayor Dale Adams proposed the creation of a police department in August and the city council held discussion and public hearings the same month. The council unanimously approved Adams' proposal with overwhelming support.

"Everyone on the council supported the idea, everyone who came and testified at the public hearings supported the idea," Adams said. "People are tired of speeding motorists."

However, Rysheck hasn't started taking calls yet; he is waiting for his APSIN clearance to arrive from the state.

APSIN, the Alaska Public Safety Information Network, is a computer system that allows an operator to derive a person's physical description, addresses, driver history, criminal history, vehicle information, wants and warrants, case involvement and other similar information all from one system and all based on an individual's unique identity.

Rysheck expects his APSIN clearance to come any day, and when it does, he'll officially go on patrol and begin taking calls. In recent weeks, he has been driving his police cruiser around the Houston area to put his face out in the community.

"The residents of Houston just aren't getting the service they need," Rysheck. "Houston-Willow is kind of a gray area; no one can get here promptly. By having this force come on, it will alleviate the Palmer troopers' case load in this area."

But the troopers will still be assisting Rysheck for the time being; as the only police officer on the force, there are some calls he won't be able to handle solo. The Wasilla Police Department and Chief Don Savage will also be working closely with Houston police; Rysheck's radio system is currently on loan from WPD.

Like everywhere in the Mat-Su Borough, Houston is growing by leaps and bounds. According to U.S. census data, Houston's population was 1,202 in 2000; there are now 1,600 registered voters in the city.

Rysheck says a growing population means a growing crime rate, and the need for a police presence in Houston is now obvious. Rysheck cites drugs problems and traffic problems in particular as areas of concern, but also says Houston has its fair share of burglaries, domestic disputes and traffic accidents.

Adams and Rysheck both say the community seems to support the creation of a police force.

"You'll never have 100-percent approval, but about 95 percent of the people I've talked to are ecstatic about it," Rysheck said.

Contact John Davidson at john.davidson@frontiersman.com.