Member of city council contacts Palmer Police regarding an ‘unorthodox request’

Richard Best made what he called an “unorthodox request” during an early-morning phone call on Jan. 10.

Best, a member of the Palmer City Council, made a cell phone call to the Palmer Police Department dispatch at 12:35 a.m. Jan. 10 while he was traveling from Kenai to Palmer. The Frontiersman obtained copies of both the audio file and the call log. Best made a request asking if a Palmer police officer could be dispatched to his home in Palmer, and if the officer could play the Peter Gabriel song “In Your Eyes” through the squad car’s loudspeaker. The request mimics a scene from the film “Say Anything,” when the main character, portrayed by John Cusack, hoists a boombox blaring the song outside the window of the love interest in the 1989 movie.

During the call, Best identifies himself as a member of the city council and repeatedly mentions that his call is for an “unorthodox request.” He also called it a “grand gesture” for his wife on multiple occasions.

The Palmer Police officer on duty that night told Best that the Palmer Police Department would be unable to help him with his request.

Palmer Police Department chief Dwayne Shelton was informed of Best’s Jan. 10 request as he entered his office on Jan. 13.

“With it being that time in the middle of the night, that’s not something that we’re going to get on the P.A. and wake up the whole neighborhood and cause a disturbance over,” Shelton said.

Shelton said he spoke with the commanding officer that handled Best’s request that night and said he would have handled the situation the same way.

The Palmer City Council does not currently have a code of ethics within its bylaws. Palmer Mayor Edna DeVries was unaware of Best’s call to Palmer Police, and did not say whether Best could face disciplinary action.

Best said he does not believe that his request was out of line.

“There was no putting myself as an elected official into anything,” Best said of the call. “I didn’t ask for any special favors.”

Best has served on the city council for more than a decade combined over two different stretches. After losing his seat in 2018, Best earned another three-year term in the 2019 city election.

Contact the Frontiersman at news@frontiersman.com.