NCJ Number
136285
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: (1991) Pages: 1-26
Date Published
1991
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program which is a unique effort to provide public safety services in the multi-cultural, politically, and legally pluralistic settings of rural Alaska.
Abstract
Focusing on the background, structure, and operation of the VPSO program, the discussion includes descriptions and evaluations which provide insights into the feasibility and practicalities of nonconventional forms of policing in conditions characterized by conflicting demands for police services and their modes of delivery. A 1981 evaluation reported that the VPSO program had met many of its technical objectives, yet it had been less effective in realizing other goals. The 1982 evaluation cited increased weaknesses in the program and found significant room for improvement although it concluded that even a marginally effective and conceptually overly ambitious program is better than no program at all in the rural areas. 5 notes and 62 references