This week’s episode of Sounding Board, “Public Safety & Security,” is over. If you missed the show, you can listen to the audio link above.
We had calls from Sue in Nome, who commended the Nome Police Department for their collaboration with NEST, the Nome Emergency Shelter Team. We also heard from Lucy in Gambell, who voiced her concern that if VPSOs were armed, it would shift the perception of guns as something that could be used on another person instead of a tool for hunting. Roger in White Mountain said that if VPSOs in our region were armed, they should receive full training comparable to what police officers and troopers receive. Randy in Nome expressed his frustration with the way local law enforcement handles certain reported incidents, and said that VPSOs should be armed for self-defense like other law enforcement personnel. Jack in Nome expressed concern about drug use in town and its effect on the younger generation.
We also received an email from Karen and Opik in Diomede, explaining that homebrew and synthetic drugs are a problem in their community, and impact children who witness such behavior. They think having a VPSO visit on a monthly basis would improve safety in the community.
Throughout the show, we also featured interviews with Alaska State Troopers Lieutenant Andrew Merrill, Acting Commander of the VPSO Program, and Captain Barry Wilson, Commander for the C Detachment (Western Alaska); and Mary David, Executive Vice President of Kawerak.
A huge thanks to everyone who called, emailed, or listened to our show this morning. Sounding Board will be back the week after Thanksgiving.
This week on Sounding Board, we’re talking about something that concerns us all: safety and security in our communities. And we want to hear from you.
- Do you feel safe in your community?
- What does law enforcement look like in your area?
- What has your experience been with response time?
- How do people in your community keep each other safe?
- How could public safety be improved?
This is an opportunity to have an open and constructive conversation on keeping our communities safe. Tune in and call in at 10 a.m. this Thursday, November 20. Or, if you already have an opinion you want to share, email us at talk@knom.org or fill out the form below.
