A new officer has joined Wrangell Police Department, bringing its staffing levels closer to optimal.
Recently retired from the United States Coast Guard, Eric Wolf began work in Wrangell as an officer at the end of June. After 12 years of active service, he explained a medical condition he had developed prevented him from continuing as an aviation mechanical technician.
Originally from Washington, he was drawn back to the northwest by an interest in law enforcement.
Previously Wolf had worked for just over a year and a half as a reserve police officer, while stationed in North Bend, Oregon. With the end of his USCG service in view, he had already begun searching for work in that line among Oregon departments. When he learned of the opening in Wrangell, he said he’d jumped at the opportunity.
“This job presented itself, and there was no way I was going to pass this job up,” he said.
Wolf already had ties to Southeast Alaska, meeting his future wife, Grace, in her hometown of Petersburg while working the canneries in 2001. The couple married in 2004, shortly before he had considered entering service in the USCG.
“We were living in Southeast Alaska and the wife was going to school there, and I applied to be an Alaska State Trooper,” he recalled. At that time he had been working as an assistant manager and lead driver for a Ketchikan moving and storage company. “I was moving a whole bunch of Coast Guard people and everything else,” he said. “Most of them seemed really happy with what they were doing, and I really liked the mission.
“I joined the Coast Guard with the anticipation of doing four years, and coming back to apply for the Alaska State Troopers. Well, I stayed,” said Wolf.
During his time in the service, Wolf’s duties had him involved in a number of missions, including drug interdiction and search and rescue. The ability to play an active, positive role in society appealed to him, something he wanted to continue doing as a law enforcement officer.
“The chance to be there to have that kind of assistance is something I enjoy,” he explained. “I like the opportunity to be effective in helping the community and people in general, every day.”
Eric, Grace and their two children have relocated together from his last post in North Carolina, setting up a home base in a house she inherited on the Wrangell Narrows, and looking for a permanent home in Wrangell.
“Wrangell’s a pretty easy fit for us,” Grace Wolf said. She is glad to be back near family, and explained the family is already fitting in to its new surroundings. “We just dug out the smoker yesterday.”
“We love the small-town atmosphere,” Eric Wolf commented. “Southeast Alaska is outstanding. Having been married here, met my wife here – you can’t beat these kind of opportunities. I love the environment.”
Wolf’s hiring brings WPD’s staffing level back up to five of its seven officers, following several retirements and resignations occurring over the past two years. Chief Doug McCloskey explained the department is still looking for another new officer. Its
roster could be permanently trimmed back to six later this year, following news that a state-facilitated program that contracts a police officer to be on site at the airport duringpassenger flights may be discontinued. In past budgets the Department of Transportation contract has provided an additional $118,633 per year to the borough, an amount expected to reduce by half by October 1 and which may end permanently the following year.
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