Palmer Council passes measure to have officer trained with DEA

PALMER — The Palmer City Council discussed measures concerning the safety of the city at its regularly scheduled bi-monthly meeting open to the public at Palmer City Hall on Tuesday.

The council passed a measure to have a local Palmer Police officer trained by the Drug Enforcement Administration after extended discussion. It also approved a resolution meant to combat drunk driving, authorizing overtime for police for the week of July 4, as well as during the Alaska State Fair. A sum of $1,000 was granted to Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center, allowing it to continue its work in avalanche education. For the first time, the city council teleconferenced with Sen. Shelley Hughes to discuss legislation in Juneau.

Sen. Hughes' update on House Bill 132 was met with disapproval from the board citing language that prohibited further local regulation on the bill allowing transportation services like 'Lyft' and 'Uber'.

"What this statute does is preempt the municipalities’ regulatory authority to protect its citizens in the event it needs to take some measures to regulate activity,” said city attorney Michael Gatti. “That's what the general objection is."

Hughes countered by promoting the benefits of the transportation network’s part-time employees providing rides to commuters.

Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center has been educating citizens on avalanche danger for seven years. The non-profit organization of seven volunteers offers avalanche training and forecast updates on snow conditions.

"We teach free rescue workshop and have done avalanche awareness classes locally,” said the center’s Ali Barker. “We've seen our support increase."

Forecasters have been providing nearly 1,000 hours per person of pro-bono reports every weekend on weather November through April. The organization applied for a grant of $2,500 that was amended to $2,000 before being passed. The organization hopes to use the funds to pay the forecaster.

"We want to tell people that Palmer is the gateway to Hatcher Pass," said councilman David Fuller.

The hotly contested agenda item of the night was whether or not to approve a Palmer Police officer to receive for one of the six spots in the six-month DEA training and enter into a two-year contract to conduct DEA investigations. Concern came over the price tag, citing that the $100,000 estimate may be conservative.

"The offset to this is that the officer is not ours; they follow the direction of the DEA, but he is providing a service to the community," said city manager Nathan Wallace.

The officer may follow leads on cases outside the community, leading him to be unavailable for regular Palmer Police Department patrol. The program may result in the loss of an experienced officer to further career opportunities. Members noted that discussions about an officer within schools had not come to fruition, but that may be where an officer could better serve the community.

"We've got to deal with the drug problem in our city," said Mayor Edna DeVries.

Communities such as Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, have adopted the agreement, but no community the size of Palmer has as yet. Wasilla and the North Slope Borough are considering sending an officer to the training, but neither has adopted the measure as of yet.

Questions and debate persisted, resulting in the questioning of Palmer Police Chief Lance Ketterling for advice. The chief validated the council's concerns, but stated that if any enforcement may be added, he prefer that it come from the federal level rather than the state. Wallace noted the intangible benefits from the training, namely that the officer may be able to share his training with fellow Palmer Police officers. The motion passed with members Hanson and LaFrance opposed.

"I think it's absolutely warranted. I don't think it's just a knee-jerk reaction," said Deputy Mayor Linda Combs. "I do see it as a natural progression with what is going on in the state."

The Palmer City Council will meet next on March 28 at Palmer City Hall at 7 p.m.

Tim Rockey is a freelance reporter for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Contact him at timothy.rockey@gmail.com.