Dillingham is down 3 correctional officers and a sergeant, according to Acting City Manager Kimberly Johnson. Johnson said two officers resigned unexpectedly in August, and Department of Public Safety staff took over jail operations for overnight holding.
Former officers have cited the jail’s condition as one of their reasons for resignation, according to Johnson. She said at the time of the resignations, one cell door was damaged and unsafe.
“For that cell there were some concerns related to safety, which I concur with. And then another issue was our plumbing in the facility because of the age of the facility,” she said.
Johnson said that officers have to enter the cell to turn on and off water for the toilet.
According to Johnson, the city has employed a contractor to fix the cell door, and is seeking someone to address the building’s plumbing issues.
For now, Johnson said the Public Safety Department is coordinating with the Alaska State Troopers to transport people in custody to facilities outside the community.
The jail is housed in Dillingham’s Public Safety building, along with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Police Department. The building is roughly 50 years old, according to Johnson, and was converted from the Public Works and City Hall building into the existing facility in 1986.
Dillingham operates the jail through a contract with the state; it’s one of several rural areas that do so. In an interview last year, former City Manager Robert Mawson said that the jail acts as a holding place after an arrest, before troopers transport people to Anchorage.
The jail closed in 2021 and 2022 due to staffing shortages. In an interview at the time, former City Manager Robert Mawson said that recruiting was a continual challenge.
Major Alice Ruby said that the state contract impacts the hiring process. Dillingham is currently hiring for four corrections officers and one sergeant.
“It ends up being a determining factor in just about everything: our hiring, the level of training and certification for staff and the staffing structure…Everything, you know, has to be done in terms of that contract with the state,” she said.
Johnson says Acting Police Chief Craig Maines is currently in the process of hiring new correctional officers, and that the city’s former sergeant is available to provide on-the-job training for the hires. Maines did not respond to a request for comment.
Update: This article has been updated with clarifying information on the Public Safety Department's capacity to hold individuals at the jail.
Get in touch with the author at christina@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.
