The Haines Borough Assembly will discuss later this month whether or not to direct Haines Borough Police Chief Heath Scott to stop responding to calls for service outside the townsite and to direct dispatchers to refer all calls from outside the townsite to the Alaska State Troopers.
Assembly member Tom Morphet made the motion after former borough assembly member George Campbell requested he do so.
The motion comes after the Alaska State Troopers removed its patrol from Haines last winter.
Since then, Haines Police have been responding to emergency calls outside the townsite, the service area where they are funded to operate.
Borough staff has since drafted an ordinance that would expand police services borough-wide, pending voter approval. The ordinance has drawn opposition from community members who live outside the townsite along with fire and medical volunteers whose budget would be folded into the larger police service area.
“The reason I want to do this is because this is going to bring this issue to a head faster than anything,” Morphet said. “If we stop providing that service and there’s a hue and cry from the people outside the townsite ‘We need service. We need service,’ they’ll be in here and they’ll be telling us exactly what service they want and how they want to pay for it.”
Assembly member Ron Jackson said “the police have to be able to respond to some things out there by request.”
Borough Manager Debra Schnabel asked about the recent Government Affairs and Services Committee recommendation to continue providing emergency services, monitor the activities, collect data and to look at it again in six months.
Morphet said he didn’t agree with the committee’s recommendation because “I don’t think it represents the public will in this case. I think it represents the will of the government.”
Assembly member Heather Lende said she agreed but acknowledged an argument Scott made during the recent committee meeting. Scott said nobody is asking for police service because police are responding to calls outside the townsite on an emergency basis and so the need isn’t apparent.
Scott said at that time his department has received 213 calls for service outside the townsite during the past year, 51 of which they’ve responded to.
The assembly will discuss the issue again at its Sept. 26 meeting.
The Haines Borough Assembly will discuss later this month whether or not to direct Haines Borough Police Chief Heath Scott to stop responding to calls for service outside the townsite and to direct dispatchers to refer all calls from outside the townsite to the Alaska State Troopers.
Assembly member Tom Morphet made the motion after former borough assembly member George Campbell requested he do so.
The motion comes after the Alaska State Troopers removed its patrol from Haines last winter.
Since then, Haines Police have been responding to emergency calls outside the townsite, the service area where they are funded to operate.
Borough staff has since drafted an ordinance that would expand police services borough-wide, pending voter approval. The ordinance has drawn opposition from community members who live outside the townsite along with fire and medical volunteers whose budget would be folded into the larger police service area.
“The reason I want to do this is because this is going to bring this issue to a head faster than anything,” Morphet said. “If we stop providing that service and there’s a hue and cry from the people outside the townsite ‘We need service. We need service,’ they’ll be in here and they’ll be telling us exactly what service they want and how they want to pay for it.”
Assembly member Ron Jackson said “the police have to be able to respond to some things out there by request.”
Borough Manager Debra Schnabel asked about the recent Government Affairs and Services Committee recommendation to continue providing emergency services, monitor the activities, collect data and to look at it again in six months.
Morphet said he didn’t agree with the committee’s recommendation because “I don’t think it represents the public will in this case. I think it represents the will of the government.”
Assembly member Heather Lende said she agreed but acknowledged an argument Scott made during the recent committee meeting. Scott said nobody is asking for police service because police are responding to calls outside the townsite on an emergency basis and so the need isn’t apparent.
Scott said at that time his department has received 213 calls for service outside the townsite during the past year, 51 of which they’ve responded to.
The assembly will discuss the issue again at its Sept. 26 meeting.