Wasilla police chief reports vacancies, K‑9 retirements, drone use and large drug seizures

Wasilla Police Chief Repson told the City Council on April 14 that the department is short three patrol officers and expects additional retirements over the next 24 months while continuing recruitment and training efforts.

The update, given during the regular council meeting, covered personnel moves, department statistics, community outreach and operational equipment. “We are currently down three vacancies right now,” Repson said, adding the department was vetting “good applicants” and had one candidate in final hiring stages.

Repson described recent retirements including K‑9 handler Officer Buzzard and his dog Echo, who retired in March. He introduced the department’s new canine, Cyntha Jay, and said Officer Nate Lacours completed a 10‑week training course with the new K‑9. The chief also noted a sergeant’s upcoming retirement on April 30 and two anticipated retirements within about two years.

Nut graf: The presentation emphasized short‑term staffing strains, investments in training and equipment, and operational changes the department says are intended to sustain coverage and public safety while recruitment continues.

In operational statistics Repson said that, from the start of the current fiscal period through the date of his report, the department had handled about 18,500 calls for service. Other figures he provided: about 4,100 traffic stops, 17 DUIs, roughly 684 arrests, and about 2,600 case reports; code‑compliance calls were around 817. He said the department expects calls for service to end the fiscal year in the mid‑20,000s.

Repson highlighted training and equipment: two detectives were promoted, the department sent officers to command school and the FBI National Academy, and the department launched new recruiting materials, including a website JoinWasillaPolice.org. He said new ballistic helmets and other body‑armor items were purchased with council support.

The chief showed drone footage that he said helped locate a suspect who fled on foot into a wooded area; the footage, he said, aided coordination between drone operators, K‑9 teams and cover officers and led to an arrest. “That kind of coordination is quite a great outcome,” he said.

Repson also described community policing and diversion work: Wasilla’s Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) program — a 40‑hour course the department now hosts — and partnerships with neighboring agencies, nonprofits and the borough for programs such as the explorer program and drug‑endangered‑children efforts.

On enforcement partnerships and narcotics work, Repson and his staff said a detective placed with a federally supported statewide drug enforcement unit (funded through the Justice Assistance Grant program) had contributed to seizures since October 2024. Repson cited seized items the department provided to the council as seizure totals reported by the multi‑agency team: about $130,000 in currency, quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and more than 2,000 grams of suspected fentanyl, plus numerous firearms.

Council members asked about recruitment initiatives, military outreach and policy for officers responding outside city limits. Repson said the department does not formally limit how many officers can respond outside the city but maintains a policy that ensures “there will always be somebody inside the city” to handle calls; responses to out‑of‑city assists are supervised by a sergeant and often follow a formal request for assistance from Alaska State Troopers.

Ending: Council members thanked Repson for the detailed briefing; several council members urged continued focus on recruitment and training to address the reported vacancies and upcoming retirements.