Haines Borough Police Chief Bill Musser backtracked on previous statements about suicide at the Nov. 3 Public Safety Commission meeting, saying it is his practice to not use the word before a medical examiner makes a definitive ruling after a death.
At a previous commission meeting, Musser said he didn’t use the word “suicide,” and instead called it “the S-word” because “we live in a predominantly Judeo-Christian society” where suicide is “often frowned upon” and sometimes “considered a mortal sin.”
Musser said calling a death a suicide before the state medical examiner rules it as such “sets the stage” to potentially overlook other scenarios, like homicide. “That’s why I make a forced effort to say it’s an unattended death, that it appears to be possibly self-inflicted. But the medical examiner ultimately makes that decision as part of the medical examination,” Musser said.
However, reporters had become frustrated with Musser because after the September death of resident George Edwards, Musser refused to say the death was an “apparent” suicide or “appeared to be” a suicide. Musser would only state an unattended death occurred.
“I wasn’t very articulate in trying to help explain where I was coming from with it and I know it’s been a concern for people,” Musser said.
Musser said he wasn’t trying to ignore or downplay the problem of suicide by referring to it as “the S-word.”
“It’s not an issue of me trying to ignore suicide, because it’s a rampant problem here just as it was in Idaho where I came from, and it’s something we need to discuss,” he said. “I just want folks to understand that I do take it serious and I am looking to try to improve upon that.”
Local author Heather Lende published a column in the Nov. 1 edition of the Alaska Dispatch News challenging Musser’s response to Edwards’ suicide.
At the commission meeting, Musser also gave a “quarterly report” outlining what the police department had accomplished in July, August and September.
“One of the big things that we were looking at in terms of the department and morale was completing updates of the vehicles and lighting equipment and making sure the markings were all consistent,” Musser said. “When I got here we had five vehicles – with the exception of the two newest ones – (and they) all had different markings on them. And if you look at them now, they’re all marked the same and that seems to have gone a long way with the officers in terms of developing a little bit of pride back in the department.”
The department also finished upgrading the dispatch equipment in July.
Purchase of new ammunition also has led to increased firearms practice, Musser said. “Practices already increased for the officers, which they were thankful for and something I found really lacking when I first got here,” he said.
In terms of staffing, three employees have resigned from the department since July: Sgt. Simon Ford and dispatchers Celeste Grimes and Rosalie Loewen.
Musser recently hired new officer Jeremy Groves, who started Monday. Musser has identified three candidates for the dispatcher positions and hopes to have them filled in a month.