Short on officers, Bethel police look to grow their own with a cadet program

The Bethel Police Department, the public-safety hub that much of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta relies on, is running well short of officers — and it is looking to grow its own.

The department's August manager's report shows 14 of its 17 peace officer positions filled, with three vacant. (A narrative line in the same report puts the shortage at seven officers; the staffing table is the more specific count.) The gaps run deeper than patrol: a school resource officer position is open, three of six dispatcher slots are unfilled, and both community service officer positions are vacant. Two officers, Adkins and Morgan, joined in July.

To build a longer-term pipeline, Grant Manager John Sargent and Public Safety Director Jeffrey Kirkham are pursuing a $200,000 federal COPS microgrant for a two-year high school cadet program. The department plans to start the program this year whether or not the grant comes through.

The staffing squeeze is not Bethel's alone. Recruiting and keeping officers is a strain across Alaska, and the Association of Village Council Presidents has called rural public safety a crisis, with villages across the region depending on hubs like Bethel when they need law enforcement help.

The report's own numbers show the workload. Calls for service dropped to 1,051 in July from 1,155 in June, but domestic violence calls climbed to 25 from 17. The department also logged 307 alcohol-related incidents, 27 assaults and 20 DUIs for the month.

The Public Safety and Transportation Commission takes up the report at 6:30 pm Sept. 2 in Bethel City Hall Council Chambers and by Zoom. Written comment can be sent to [email protected] by 4 pm that day.