After nearly six years with the department, Haines’ interim police chief Michael Fullerton is stepping down at the end of April.
Fullerton said he submitted his resignation to the borough administration on Tuesday.
While he doesn’t want to go into specifics about his immediate plans, he said that with the full support of his spouse – interim borough manager Alekka Fullerton – he’ll be going on a several-month adventure.
Fullerton moved to Haines in 2016 and became an Alaska State Trooper in 2018. He has been an officer with the Haines Police Department since 2019.
Fullerton stepped in as chief after the former police chief left in November of 2024. It was a situation made more complicated by his wife’s role as interim manager, which generally oversees the police chief.
Initially, Fullerton considered applying for the position after meeting with other finalists for the role.
Then, one finalist withdrew from consideration after visiting Haines, specifically citing his negative interactions with Fullerton and how complicated he believed it would be to supervise one person while reporting to their spouse.
Ultimately, Fullerton decided not to apply. He said decided to resign after he realized there was no opportunity for him to take a leadership role in the department.
“The borough made it perfectly clear,” he said.
His time as chief has been marked by high-pressure incidents including conflict with a sitting assembly member over a moose euthanization in December and, more recently, a violent altercation with a resident who has since been charged with assaulting him. He said Tuesday that the state’s investigation into his actions during that incident – he fired at the resident but did not hit him – should be concluded shortly.
But, in looking at the stress of the job and the lack of opportunity for advancement, Fullerton said he came to the conclusion that the position was no longer worth it.
His departure will bring Haines down to two officers, Maxwell Jusi and Travis Russell.