TO: Assembly President Sprague

Members of the Assembly

FROM: Gary Superman, Assembly Vice President

DATE: April 13, 2004

SUBJECT: Ordinance 2004-10: Establishing the Nikiski Law Enforcement Service Area

Community law enforcement or, more specifically, adequate levels of this service have been on the minds of many citizens in Nikiski for some time now. This past winter, the latest incidence of criminal activity flourished in the form of a burglary ring. Many homes were targeted and pillaged before the Alaska State Troopers, with the aid of local residents, were successful in the breakup of the ring in late January. The Troopers collected over 2,000 burglarized items. Prior to that breakup, some citizens attempted reacquisition of their property on their own. I empathize with these victims. Though the situation differed, the summer of 1997 found me armed to deal with a migrant quasi-gang. Not only does this present a dangerous situation for those involved; it bespeaks of deeper prevailing problems.

Some of our unincorporated areas of the borough are gaining population faster than our cities. Unfortunately, because of the lack of visible authority, these areas have become fertile ground for crime. Theft and burglary are often coupled with illicit drugs. One fuels the other and availability is too often not a problem. The reality and consequence of the Troopers' presence of 2-3 men on any given shift for both the Central and Northern parts of the Peninsula will continue to be problematic at best, that is until the next crime wave hits.

The initial community meeting of February 4, in response to this winter's activity, brought forth over 150 Nikiski residents. Some were turned away for lack of parking at our oft used meeting location at the Nikiski Senior Center. After ventilation of outrage and various narratives of the situation, a constructive element emerged with the formation of a working group tasked with identifying solutions. This group of 20+ people were of no singular mind at the outset. Through four meetings in March, much was discussed. This ordinance received unanimous support when it was brought to the general Community Council on April 5.

It has been crafted with the intent of flexibility. The new service area board will have the power to determine and provide the scope and level of services to the community (KPB 16.80.080) In essence, they may contract with existing public safety departments (e.g. Troopers, Kenai Police Department) or they may create a new law enforcement agency at the onset or sometime in the future. Though much will be shoulder by this board, we envision this as a positive and necessary mechanism toward the improvement of quality of life in Nikiski. Not only will this service area provide a recognized entity for communication to authorities (identified as a primary problem with the working group), it creates and basically mandates interaction between those authorities and the community. This is a new concept for not only the Borough but for the State of Alaska.

I anticipate this will generate much discussion, both pro and con. More significantly, I hope certain questions can be answered during the ensuing dialogue. Amongst those are:

• What is the scope and level of services the Alaska State Troopers are mandated to provide in growing unincorporated areas?
• As a state organization, are they essentially trained to interact with communities? If not, can they adapt to more Community Oriented Policing methods?

Obviously, this ordinance is the result of a proactive community seeking solutions to their community problems. Some may view it as overly progressive. Responsively, I say this service area is structured with the ability to progress at a rate that reflects community growth. I believe the time has come for this concept and I urge your support in putting this question out to the Nikiski community.