VPSO program

When Aucha Kameroff took over as head of public safety for the Northwest Arctic Borough at the start of last year, there were no Village Public Safety Officers in any of the borough’s 10 village communities. Kameroff says a lack of public safety is a problem in many rural Alaska communities, and getting VPSOs in the Northwest Arctic was her first priority.

Until recently, the Northwest Arctic Borough had zero VPSOs in any of their villages. Since January, public safety officials have begun to fill the vacant posts, with several more hired in the last month.

The borough recently announced that it will be filling three VPSO positions in the villages of Kobuk, Noatak and Kiana.