LETTER: A Mat-Su ‘Sheriff’ not feasible

To the editor:

In a recent story in the Frontiersman, it was mentioned that Jim Sykes, a Mat-Su Assembly member, was exploring the possibility of founding a "Sheriff's Department" in the Mat-Su. While I think it would be wonderful to have a sheriff to assist the Troopers in the Mat-Su, I don't believe that we have the ability currently to finance a full-fledged sheriff's department. I would like to propose instead the idea of a "Mat-Su Constabulary" consisting of officers similar to VPSOs/VPOs that exist in many rural villages throughout Alaska. The idea of a constabulary is an old one; constables existed in rural areas of some of the American Colonies and exist in some form in some areas of the lower 48 today although they play a very minor role in most areas today since communication with and response from sheriffs offices and state police agencies is rapid and efficient. In the old form, constables were appointed or elected to resolve disputes among folks living in townships. Communication over distance was not rapid in those days so the constables were on their own in local law enforcement in many areas, but, at least in the areas where they were elected, they had the support of the local citizenry, so they were not alone in executing their duties. According to the latest information I could obtain from an internet search, West Virginia, a state with a similar geographic area to the Mat-Su Borough, has 3382 law enforcement officers, or 1 for every 537 residents; the Mat-Su has 31 Alaska State Troopers, Palmer has 14 sworn officers, and Wasilla has 25 sworn officers for a total of 70 law enforcement officers over a similar geographic area or 1 for every 1442 residents, roughly one-third the coverage on a population basis, but that is a bit misleading comparison, as West Virginia's law enforcement resources are much more evenly spread over the state, while the Mat-Su resources are mostly confined to the "Core" area of Palmer, Wasilla and Houston.

Constables with VPSO-level training could be much more easily spread over the borough, in many cases they could be selected/elected from the areas in which they already live. For example, a Butte resident could apply for a position patrolling that area, and a Talkeetna resident could apply to patrol the Talkeetna-Sunshine area. Although the duties and training for these officers would be a matter to be negotiated among the Troopers, the Borough, and the local area councils, a good start would be for these officers to investigate local property crimes and assign case numbers for insurance purposes, resolve conflicts between neighbors of a non-violent nature, and perhaps accompany Troopers on calls within their areas when no other Troopers were available. I think these officers should be a supplement to the more highly-trained Alaska State Troopers, not in any way a replacement, and be used mostly for minor offenses where the potential for violence is low. They could be eyes and ears of the Troopers in their areas, since they would most likely have "networks" of friends and acquaintances in the areas in which they reside, and perhaps could assist in getting a better handle on the rash of property crimes the have plagues the Valley in recent years.

I believe this would be a cost-effective solution to the current Trooper cutbacks and would give the Mat-Su Borough the opportunity to have an arm of law enforcement that does not currently exist in the borough. I have been told by others that the borough has many well-thought-out and organized ordinances, but has no enforcement powers other than Code Enforcement and Animal Control. This concept would give the borough an opportunity to review the role of enforcement of borough regulations and ordinances.

— Don Hepler

Meadow Lakes