Marriage, service in a home village, connectedness to Alaska Native culture and the presence of other police officers all are factors associated with officers remaining with the Alaska Village Public Safety Officer program for substantial periods of time, according to a study recently completed by the Justice Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Although attrition rates in the VPSO program have always been high, some officers do remain with the program for many years – despite widely held perceptions among the officers of low pay, high job-related stress and lack of support.
Dr. Darryl Wood of the Justice Center directed the research, which examined factors related to officer turnover in the VPSO program. The project was funded by a $50,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice as part of the Institute's research partnership with the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice.
The problem of officer attrition has hindered the VPSO program since its inception over twenty years ago. The high turnover rates for VPSOs are a problem because of the costs involved and the disruptions in continuity of service to the villages. The study looked at four areas in an attempt to discern reasons associated with attrition: pay, stress, training and organizational support, and Alaska Native ethnicity. Both current and former VPSOs were surveyed..
Copies of the report, "Turnover Among Alaska Village Public Safety Officers: An Examination of the Factors Associated with Attrition," are available through the Justice Center (786-1810). The study is also available online at the Justice Center web site: www.uaa.alaska.edu/just/.
