The Haines Borough public safety commission met last week to seat a new chairperson, discuss long-term goals and devise strategies for grappling with illegal drug use in Haines.
Last month the borough assembly denied the commission’s proposed name change to the “public health and safety commission.” Assembly members cited concerns about taking on the additional responsibilities of public health and changing the structure of government to address a single issue, such as opioid abuse.
Assembly members Stephanie Scott, Heather Lende, Brenda Josephson and Sean Maidy attended the meeting, as did Mayor Jan Hill.
“There’s no doubt that everyone is quite concerned about drugs, opioid issues, in the community,” Lende told the commission. “The whole idea of creating a public health commission and combining that with a public safety commission might be very different skill sets.”
Commission member Michael Fullerton said drug use was a difficult and complex problem, much of which revolves around mental health. “If we can get ahead of that and have a more coordinated effort with respect to public safety that includes public health, I think that’s a good thing,” Fullerton said. “Reflecting that in our name would be positive.”
In terms of long-term strategies meant to address such concerns, police chief Heath Scott said the department is considering designating a crisis intervention officer who can help troubled individuals avoid the criminal justice system.
“It’s no longer acceptable that enforcement strategies end in confinement or end in ticketing or end in punitive measures. Good enforcement strategies think about ‘how do we stop continued criminal behavior,’” Scott said.
Commission member Bill McCord again asked to hold a public forum on public safety strategies and goals, an idea the commission discussed in June. Other commission members agreed, but stated they would prefer a public forum occur after all seats for the commission have been filled.
Commission chair Jim Stanford resigned from the commission late last month. In a separate interview, Stanford said he accomplished what he set out to accomplish and wanted to move on to other things.
Two seats on the commission are now open. Persons interested in serving can find an application online.
All applications need to be turned into the Borough Office or emailed to Alekka Fullerton, [email protected] by Dec. 10.