DMV working through backlog, says police chief

There is a backlog at the driver's license and vehicle registration office in Wrangell, said Police Chief Tom Radke, but they are working their way down the list and hope to have things running smoothly in the near future.

The office in the Public Safety Building on Zimovia Highway has been closed or otherwise inaccessible for several months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and retirement of the only employee.

The Division of Motor Vehicles office, a function of the state, is working its way through a backlog of appointments. Radke said there were still 27 appointments to go, as of Monday, and it could take some time due to staffing.

Rhonda Herman took over the office about six months ago, Radke said, but she is not full-time. She is dividing her time between the office and handling phones for the police department.

Furthermore, he said it has been a struggle for Herman to get all the training she needs to fully handle everything expected of a DMV worker. A lot of training is normally done in person, the police chief said, but instructors have not been traveling due to the pandemic, so training has largely moved online.

Herman has been taking training as it becomes available. Within the next few weeks, she is scheduled to learn how to administer on-the-road driving tests, after which she will be fully trained, Radke said.

While they work through the backlog of appointments, Radke said the public is encouraged to see what services can be handled online. "There's some quirks to the system" about what can and cannot be done online, he said, but a lot of the services have moved there since the start of the pandemic.

Radke said they hope to get caught up by summer. Even under the best circumstances, he said, the DMV is not usually the most efficient system. "It's always a pain no matter where you're at."

The office is currently accessible by appointment only. Services offered include renewal of licenses and ID cards, instructional permit testing, vehicle title and registration. Radke said the office now can issue Real ID and driver's license upgrades, too.

The office can be reached at the police department's non-emergency number, 874-3304.