KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Mitch Borden/KMXT
The City of Kodiak is getting a new police chief. After serving as Kodiak’s chief of police for the past five years, Rhonda Wallace is retiring and the person who’s been chosen to fill her shoes, as KMXT reports, may be a familiar face to some.
When Tim Putney graduated from Kodiak High School, he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up.
“Ever since I remember, I’ve always wanted to be a police officer.”
It took 15 years, but he worked his way from being a corrections officer to a lieutenant in the Kodiak Police Department, and now he’s about to take over as the chief of police.
Putney says he isn’t nervous about starting his new position, but he also admits that could come later. He thinks his role as police chief will be to make sure his officers have the tools and training to do their jobs well and to ensure good police are walking the streets of Kodiak.
“We’re really just trying to set them up for success and make sure they’re safe. And then, you know, also, we’re there to make sure we’re hiring and retaining the best people for the job. I guess in a sense the chief is the police of the police, make sure we’re holding each other to high standards.”
One of the things Putney wants to see KPD officers do more in the future is get involved in the community. He thinks across America police have somewhat lost touch, which needs to change.
“I think we’ve kinda gotten out of that habit of getting out of our patrol cars and walking into schools and being a part of different community organizations and hopefully we can get to that point where we can do more one on one interactions with officers so people can meet them and recognize them as people, just like them.”
When Putney thinks ahead to the day when he’ll step down from being Kodiak’s police chief he wants to leave behind a well-run station, with a good reputation, and that’s fully staffed. But of course, to get there, he has to start first.
