New prosecutor answers some questions, begs others

Frontiersman editorial board

The Mat-Su Borough is a community that has seen more than its fair share of crime over the past few years. We live in a community plagued by burglaries, rife with drug use and production and where drunk driving seems to be the rule rather than the exception. When a Big Lake pastor shot and killed two burglars in his church, no one seemed too surprised, and the pastor was acquitted of all charges filed against him in the case. Many residents rallied to his side, because they knew that the thin police force is often slow to respond, and they knew that an overburdened district attorney's office wasn't able to stay on top of a deep and growing case load.

That district attorney's office has been without one assistant district attorney since Jack Smith was appointed by Gov. Frank Murkowski to the Anchorage District Court. That was more than a year ago. The Valley needs many things to improve the safety of people who live here. We need more police so that citizens can be assured that calls will be responded to within a reasonable amount of time -- that problem will not be solved over night. For now, a fully-staffed district attorney's office should be a minimum expectation for people here.

Finally, after a year of waiting, we have some good news for justice in the Valley. Following a Tuesday interview, an assistant district attorney was hired to fill the vacancy in the Palmer office. Richard Allen from Houston, Texas, will fill the position beginning Jan. 20. Allen has been practicing law in Texas, after graduating from law school in 2000. He grew up in Fairbanks and has family in the Palmer area, according to Susan Parkes, Deputy Attorney General - Criminal Division.

We offer congratulations to the district attorney's office for filling the vacancy, and we share in what must be a great relief for law-abiding citizens in our community. There are a few questions begging for answers, however.

With at least a dozen applications received, why did it take more than a year to fill this critical vacancy? One wonders whether there was enough of a sense of urgency to fully staff an office that is stretched too thin even with its full contingent of prosecutors on board. The process, according to Parkes, involves approval from the governor, and it appears Allen came with Gov. Frank Murkowski's stamp of approval in place.

What were the governor's criteria that made a Texas lawyer with two years of experience more appealing than other candidates? Were the same criteria applied to all the applicants? How many other interviews were conducted in this process, and was this District Attorney Roman Kalytiak's first choice? And how many cases were untried or delayed because of a lack of staffing? This process clearly took too long to play out, and now it's time to find out where the logs became jammed.