Bethel hires new chief of police

James Harris was appointed arsenic nan main of constabulary for nan City of Bethel connected May 14, 2024. (Courtesy James Harris)

At its Tuesday meeting, Bethel City Council appointed James Harris nan caller Bethel Chief of Police. He is scheduled to statesman connected July 1.

Harris said to KYUK successful early May, anterior to his hiring, while connected a five-day sojourn to Bethel.

“I’ve met pinch a batch of a batch of individuals, including nan schoolhouse superintendent, and I’ve met pinch nan territory attorney’s office, and I deliberation that we person a existent beardown opening towards having a existent moving narration and a partnership,” Harris said. “Bringing each nan stakeholders together is my superior goal.”

Harris has 32 years of acquisition successful rule enforcement, and has served arsenic nan main of constabulary successful Belen, N.M., since 2019. According to his resume, Harris has worked successful a wide scope of policing roles pinch nan Valencia County Sheriff’s Office successful New Mexico. He has besides served arsenic a lawman sheriff successful Benton, La., arsenic a parkland ranger, and arsenic a correctional serviceman successful some New Mexico and Louisiana.

Harris’s hiring comes 4 and a half months aft the resignation of Bethel’s erstwhile main of police, Leonard Hicks, who said astatine nan clip of his departure astatine nan extremity of 2023: “there’s conscionable not overmuch much I tin do.”

Harris said that he is good alert of nan shape of constabulary main turnover successful Bethel.

“I did investigation nan truth that nan different chiefs of constabulary person near and immoderate of nan reasons why they’ve left,” Harris said. “Anytime that I americium going to jump into thing for illustration this, I do a batch of investigation connected it.”

Bethel Police Lt. Christopher Wigner served arsenic acting main anterior to Harris’s hiring.

Harris will caput a section grappling pinch multiple active death investigations, arsenic good arsenic what erstwhile main Hicks described arsenic an increase in reported meth usage and opioid overdoses successful nan community.

Harris said that this will beryllium his first clip moving pinch a section wholly staffed by officers who activity 2 week on, 2 week disconnected schedules. Just 3 of nan officers that presently unit nan section reside full-time successful Bethel.

Harris said that he already has aggregate ideas for really to amended nan constabulary department, including encouraging officers to return clip to get to cognize group successful nan community.

“If they are vested successful nan organization that they’re serving, past nan organization they’re serving is going to consciousness much astatine location and much astatine easiness talking pinch them astir issues,” Harris said.

Harris said that he intends to found a constabulary advisory committee appointed by nan Bethel City Council that tin bring issues of interest straight to his desk. He said that he besides wants to found regular municipality hallway meetings that supply a chance for nan organization to prosecute pinch section and authorities nationalist information officials and nan territory attorney’s office.

“I will effort to guarantee that we are arsenic transparent arsenic possible. Now, obviously, location are immoderate things that successful investigations, we person to see nan integrity of nan investigation,” Harris said. “But if I tin springiness information, I will springiness information.”

According to Bethel metropolis officials, Harris will person expanded duties that see administrative oversight of some nan constabulary and occurrence departments. The metropolis said that nan displacement is intended to reside recruitment concerns, support profession growth, and prevention nan metropolis money.

This move comes aft nan departure of erstwhile Bethel Fire Chief Daron Solesbee successful May. Solesbee took a position pinch nan University Fire Department successful Fairbanks.

New nationalist information head position

Bethel Human Resources Director Laura Cloward explained to nan Bethel City Council connected Tuesday that successful summation to being main of police, Harris will besides beryllium Bethel’s nationalist information director. To do this, nan metropolis will request to change its municipal codification regarding nan measurement it administers nan occurrence department.

“It’s not thing wholly novel,” Cloward said. “Outside successful nan Lower 48 location are decidedly communities who person a azygous nationalist information constituent of contact.”

In nan absence of a occurrence chief, nan metropolis said day-to-day operations of nan Bethel Fire Department will beryllium handled by nan existent occurrence skipper for nan clip being.

Cloward said that nan specifications of nan caller nationalist information head position are still being ironed out, but that she is assured Harris is nan correct prime for nan job.

“In position of his background, he has emergency operations experience, and that is 1 of nan components of nan occurrence main position. So we cognize he’s going to beryllium capable to backfill that,” Cloward said. “Chief Harris did opportunity if we request and want him to get further certifications and training wrong nan occurrence broadside of things, he’s wholly unfastened to that. He’s very unfastened to helping america activity to create this position.”

The City of Bethel received 9 applications for constabulary chief, and 4 candidates were interviewed for nan position.

Harris will gain an yearly net of $140,000, positive wellness security and status benefits. He has been hired arsenic a imperishable worker for nan non-union position.