Trooper wears many hats in courthouse career

PALMER -- Alaska State Trooper Christopher Harris has a desk in a busy little office alcove of the Palmer courthouse.

He's frequently seen in the courtroom -- bringing in defendants, passing them court documents and adjusting the microphone so their voices can be heard.

"I really like people," Harris said. "When they get here, they have enough tension. I try to help the defendants maintain a degree of dignity and try to keep them calm."

And it shows as Harris, 39, steps into action when defendants appear in handcuffs, needy and disheveled as they prepare to face the judge. He's been seen pouring prisoners cups of water.

Maybe this accounts for Harris' recent recognition as Best Law Enforcement Officer in the Valley, voted so in a Frontiersman readers' poll. "I am so surprised and delighted," Harris laughed when he first was told.

The voters in the survey remain anonymous since their names and addresses are separated from their nominations. But it's possible a few votes came from people who spent time at the Mat-Su Pre-Trial, since they form the bulk of Harris' acquaintance.

Harris is one of 33 court services officers statewide.

Palmer has three CSOs, under the supervision of Trooper Rick Pyles. They deliver subpoenas, transport defendants from jail to court and back, fly out of state to bring back fugitive defendants and issue court summonses to people.

"I wear many hats, and every day is different," Harris said.

Harris' job philosophy is that he should use his presence to calm people encountering the courts, in order to defuse potential problems.

"I try to see people as individuals. It could always be me on the other side of the fence," he said.

Harris was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., one of five children raised by a single mother who hired out as a housekeeper.

As a teen-ager, he was accepted into a specialized high school, Park West Culinary High School in Manhattan. He commuted to and from the city each day to attend school, and graduated from there in 1981.

"I was lucky in meeting people who had achieved things in their lives and I wanted to emulate them," Harris said. "I think I was influenced a lot by my mother and in just how I grew up. Where I am from, you don't sit on the fence. You either had to be an achiever or you went on the other side and joined the ones on the inside of the prison system."

Harris pursued his creative interests after high school by enrolling at Jamestown Community College, which offered an artisan program.

He wanted to work with wood, learning everything from how to turn a bowl to making a chair. But after one semester he found he didn't have the financing to remain in college.

"I went into the U.S. Army and spent the next seven years there," Harris said. In 1985, that brought him to Alaska's Fort Richardson.

"I really like Alaska. It is one of those places you either love or hate and I loved it. People here were friendly and polite. It was nothing like growing up in New York, where people have a shield around them."

Harris was discharged from the Army on medical leave after a training exercise left him with internal injuries. He didn't want to leave, he said, because he had steadily climbed through the ranks to staff sergeant promotable, after being a drill instructor in the infantry.

For the next seven years he delivered mail for the U.S. Post Office out of Anchorage, and, though he liked that, he wanted a challenge. A supervisor suggested he try the Alaska State Troopers.

"I like people and I wanted a change. I like helping people in any way that I can. That's just me," Harris said.

As a CSO, he says he gets a lot of opportunities to help people and it's gratifying to see potentially dangerous situations work out.

He serves a lot of summonses, a task that often involves visiting people's homes.

"I am above board in letting them know why I am there, but it's not the end of the world because they are being called to court," he said.

"When I am going to see someone it is not always a bad thing. I tell them it's best if they handle it by appearing in court so that the next time a trooper comes up it's not to serve an arrest warrant."

Another time he encountered a 60-year-old woman arrested for a DWI, who was going to jail for the first time.

"She's scared to death and you know she wants to crawl under a rock. I talked to her with dignity and respect, trying to ease her tensions," Harris said. "These are small ways I can help people."

On the trip between the Mat-Su Pre-Trial and the court, Harris gets to know certain inmates he's been transporting from arraignment to trial to sentencing. "They ask me questions about what I think of this judge or that lawyer. Sometimes I get to know them pretty well."

Harris acknowledged he can't make everyone happy. Some men and women are angry and out of control. "As best you can, you have to control the situation."

At home, Harris and his wife enjoy a growing family. He has four daughters: Casandra, 14; Meagan, 5; Ivie, almost 3; and Liberty, two months and seven days old on the day Harris was interviewed.

He also continues to explore his creativity by cooking and woodworking.

"I really enjoy cooking, even now. I like to take a recipe and make it my own. Add mozzarella to spaghetti, and use sausage instead of hamburger," Harris said. "I like to remodel my house."

One of the secrets to achieving a good life is "not letting anyone tell you you can't do something. Try it out, try your best. If it's not good enough, you find out what your shortcomings are and see if you can change those," Harris said.

"That's pretty much what I strongly, strongly believe. Never let anyone talk you out of your goals. That is what carried me through my life."