The Alaska House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 81, requiring background investigations of village public safety officer applicants by the Alaska Department of Public Safety in relation to the VPSO program.
The bill would update the VPSO program, implementing recommendations made by a bipartisan, bicameral working group. Program improvements made in the bill includes updating the law enforcement duties and powers of the VPSOs, increasing programmatic and budgetary flexibility for Tribal partners and coordinators of the program, and formalizing the background check process for applicants, according to Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky (Bethel).
Zulkosky tells the House floor:
“Created in the late 1970s, the Village Public Safety Officer program’s stated purpose is to assist in the protection of life and property and to coordinate probation and parole in rural communities. Currently there are ten entities operating VPSO grants throughout Alaska. While the VPSO program has provided valuable service to participating areas, over the past decade, we have seen shrinking numbers of VPSOs. Significant difficulty in recruitment and retention of officers, which we’ve seen statewide in many public safety programs and community needs that surpass the current duties as spelled out in statute of Alaska’s VPSOs. There is undoubtedly the need to address the crisis in public safety infrastructure and service across rural Alaska.”
In citing a report from 2019, Rep. Zulkosky says that one in three Alaska communities do not have any form of local law enforcement:
“Quite frankly, this fact compounds the challenges and contributes to the disproportionality of interpersonal violence that we see occurring across this state.”
Rep. Zulkosky adds in a social media post:
“The State has a duty to make sure every Alaskan feels safe, no matter where they call home. The Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) Program is an important program that brings us one step closer to that goal.”
The legislation that previously passed the Senate, passed the House of Representatives on a 34-2 vote and now is on its way to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s desk for his signature.
Transcribed audio courtesy of KTOO 360TV.