Police chief Gene Meek has instituted several initiatives and policy changes since taking the job in July.
Police Chief Gene Meek has revamped the Wrangell Police Department. Since arriving in July, he has implemented a series of policies that emphasize transparency, prevention and community engagement.
When he arrived in town, he realized something pretty quickly about the police department. "This agency was stuck in the 1990s," he said. "It was a reactive model, where you sit back, wait for calls for service, and go out and handle the calls. That's fine from a law enforcement standpoint, but Wrangell needs a public safety entity too."
Meek didn't wait to get settled in town before implementing some new policies. In just his first four months, he has increased crackdowns on intoxicated drivers and given public presentations in drug recognition and current fraud trends. He conducted hostile intruder training for school staff. He also is meeting with individual teachers one-on-one so they can better understand student safety in their classrooms.
He hopes these trainings and increased DUI stops can help prevent issues before they arise. And if they do arise, Meek wants the public and the police department to be adequately prepared to handle them.
He recently acquired two new police cruisers to rotate out the older fleet for a more modern pair of vehicles. The department's most recent acquisitions are 2015 and 2019 Ford Explorers. He said the department is working with the Wrangell Cooperative Association and the public to design decals for the new cruisers that reflect the community's values.
Some of Meek's most notable changes have occurred within the schools, something to which Borough Manager Mason Villarma has taken a liking.
"His interactions with the school have been my favorite thing about Gene," Villarma said. "He's up there greeting kids every morning."
And when he isn't welcoming kids at the door in the mornings, he's coaching them at the community center in the evenings. On Nov. 9, Meek's all-star elementary school basketball teams beat their Petersburg rivals in two out of three games.
While he is busy imbedding himself in his new community, he is also making sure to plan for the future. He recently wrote grant proposals that would provide funding for a school resource officer. He hopes another pending grant could bring a K-9 unit to town.
He has laid the groundwork for reopening the indoor shooting range in the Public Safety Building. The police department hopes to have the range fully operational in November but has set Dec. 1 as a worst-case-scenario deadline. It will be run by certified range safety officers, and is scheduled to be open on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons.
Despite the early success, the 30-year law enforcement veteran still has plenty of hopes for the future of the department. One of Meek's ambitious goals is to achieve official accreditation for the police force. He achieved the feat earlier this year in Soldotna, acquiring accreditation through the Northwest Accreditation Alliance, but he wants to do it again in Wrangell.
"Accredited law enforcement agencies promote professionalism because they have standardized policies," he said. To achieve accreditation, agencies need to maintain a set of standards for things ranging from use-of-force tactics and reasons for a suspicious-person stop and even evidence collection, Meek said.
The first step in achieving accreditation is to revamp the police department's policy manual. "Our policy platform manual right now is in dire need of updates. Once again, this agency was stuck in the 1990s," he said. "So much has happened over the last three decades. We need new policy manuals to reflect that."
Villarma, who hired Meek earlier this year, has been thrilled by this new iteration of the police.
"I think he's done a great job, shifting away from just policing to a comprehensive public safety approach, which is exactly what we want here. I'm just really grateful for his contributions."
Reader Comments(0)