NCJ Number
138929
Journal
Policing & Society Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: (June 1992) Pages: 273-291
Date Published
1992
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This paper focuses on the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program, one in a series of programs designed to bring law and order to Native communities in Alaska.
Abstract
Established in 1980, the VPSO program currently fills about 125 positions. VPSO's serve in rural, isolated villages by themselves and provide general public safety services. The program costs about $6 to $7 million annually. The job of the VPSO extends beyond a narrow crime control or order maintenance role. VPSO's are expected to respond to all types of social disruptions and to be responsive to local needs and demands. The VPSO program represents a version of community policing adapted to the multicultural environment of rural Alaska and emphasizes local control and accountability and private participation in oversight, administration, and policy development. The VPSO program is discussed in terms of two general theoretical frameworks: cultural contact/social dislocation; and underdevelopment/dependency theory. Both frameworks are found to be lacking in the context of VPSO's because they do not explain the specific dynamics of change. An alternative theory, the interested action model, is proposed that views change as the result of groups and individuals reacting to circumstances to create new conditions for their lives. The history of policing in Alaska and the origins of the VPSO program are reviewed. 66 references and 14 footnotes