Radke retires after 4 years as police chief

Wrangell Police Chief Tom Radke retired April 5 after four years in the job.

He started in Wrangell at the beginning of 2020 after moving from Minnesota, where he worked in the field for almost 30 years.

“Wrangell is a great town,” he said, “and it has been a great experience.” Radke and his wife are moving back to Minnesota to be closer to family.

The borough is advertising for a new chief, with applications due Wednesday, May 1.

The Wrangell department was in good shape when he started, he said, but he believes it is in better shape now. During his time as chief, Radke saw the community go through difficulties during the COVID pandemic and its restrictions on people’s activities, and the deadly landslide last November.

He also implemented body cameras for officers, text-to-911 and made equipment upgrades.

The feedback for the body cameras has been very positive, he said. Across the nation, this is where police departments are heading, and Radke noted that Wrangell is now ahead of the trend.

The text-to-911 capability implemented in 2021 in Wrangell and Petersburg was the first in Southeast.

Radke said he felt it was his time to retire. The budget year starts July 1, so he figured now was a good time to make a clean break.

There will be multiple retirements throughout the borough this year, including Fire Chief Tim Buness. Radke said that all these retirements create an opportunity for the borough to bring in new and different public safety options.