Rural Alaska

Candidates for Alaska governor outline public safety plans in Bethel forum

BETHEL — The three leading candidates for Alaska governor recently outlined options to improve public safety in rural areas of the state.

The campaigns presented solutions after delegates attending the Association of Village Council Presidents' annual convention last week voted that public safety is the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region's top issue, KYUK-AM reported.

Debra Call, a candidate for lieutenant governor and the running mate of Democratic candidate Mark Begich, proposed cross-training urban and rural law enforcement throughout the state. Under her vision, rural Village Public Safety Officers and Alaska State Troopers would shadow urban police officers to see their challenges as well as find new mentors and learn new technology.

"But they also do the reverse, take our urban law enforcement officers and have them spend some time in the villages, and have them understand what our VPSOs and our communities are dealing with," Call said.

John Moller, campaign co-chair for Mike Dunleavy, said the Republican candidate wants to form a public safety team with people who served on a similar team under Gov. Sean Parnell. Moller served as the Rural Affairs adviser under Parnell.

"We built probably one of the most robust VPSO programs and trooper programs in the history of the state, and Mike Dunleavy wants to pull the team back together again to redo that," Moller said.

Gov. Bill Walker said he wants to work with Alaska tribes to address public safety in a similar manner in how the state worked with tribes to created health organizations.

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"If we can do — working with the tribes on education and public safety — on what the tribes have done on public health, oh my, we will have the safest Alaska and best education system if I see what's happening with public health," Walker said.

Walker has also proposed increasing pay for Village Public Safety Officers to match a pay increase that troopers recently received.

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