Currently, about 90 communities in Alaska with more than 50 people lack a law enforcement presence -- not a village public safety officer, or a tribal officer, or even a trooper.

Gov. Sean Parnell has vowed to place a public safety officer in each village that wants one. But some lawmakers and others have some real concerns about the struggles communities go through to fund, recruit and house the officers -- in some cases, holding fundraisers for local law enforcement in villages that can be a hundred miles or more from a state trooper or other aid.

"This is just unacceptable," Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage, said.

Village public safety officers aren't certified police officers or state employees, and in some places they lack more than rudimentary quarters for living or conducting business. VPSOs are also overseen by full-fledged Alaska State Troopers, Public Safety Commissioner Joe Masters told a legislative committee.

"Everybody is unofficially trying to team up to solve some of these issues," Masters said.

Parnell has said he will support adding public safety officers in every rural community wanting a law enforcement presence, up to 15 per year for the next 10 years. That's part of a package he's proposed to combat domestic violence and sexual assault, and it will take roughly $1.2 million per 15 positions.

The positions will go first to communities that have the facilities to house a VPSO, and that can pull together workspace, Masters said.

"That's a pretty significant commitment," Masters told the Senate's finance subcommittee dealing with public safety budgets.

It will come with a cost.

Village officers are funded with state grants awarded to local nonprofits, often tribal or Native organizations. But housing is often an issue in the communities far from roads, as is office space -- let alone holding cells for offenders waiting as troopers arrive to deal with criminal matters.

While some communities receive federal and state grants to help pay for their own law enforcement, some assess a tax to cover public safety costs, and others opt for less sure measures.

"Some literally hold bingo nights," Masters said.

Within the public safety department's budget request is a base salary increase from $17 to $21 per hour for VPSOs, as well as cost of living increases for existing officers -- but Masters said a pay raise isn't the biggest factor in retaining officers.

Adequate housing is often hard to come by in villages, where many Alaskans live without running water and indoor toilets. Communities often add housing to the perks for VPSOs, and there's about $1 million in the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation's budget that's designed to help. Nonprofits and individuals wanting to provide VPSO housing will be able to tap into that fund, Masters said.

Just as important, though, is moral support for officers far from backup, he added.

"Those are probably some of the strongest commitments that will encourage longevity," Masters told lawmakers.

Adding law enforcement is a proven way to decrease the rates of violent crime, French noted. VPSOs, while lacking the full powers of traditional law enforcement, can respond to crimes, provide aid to victims, preserve critical evidence and notify a state trooper help is needed. They're also a deterrent, in some cases.

"The initial response is better," Masters said. "The more important part ... is having people in place that will prevent crimes from happening."

Contact Rena Delbridge at rena(at)alaskadispatch.com.