The Juneau Police Department has a feature on its website called ‘Ask a Dispatcher,” where it answers such questions ranging from how to handle a bear snooping around in your trash, to what to do if you see a child left alone in a car. Below is one of the recent exchanges that caught my eye. Note: I know this is a diversion from politics, but it’s fun and we all need some of that sometimes.

Question:

I have a tenant who I want to evict. I am afraid he is going to get volatile when I serve the paperwork asking him to vacate the apartment. Is this something I can ask a policeman to be present for? The tenant is always intoxicated and owns at least three semi-automatic assault rifles. I find him very unpredictable.

Answer:

Dear Juneau Resident,

Standing by for eviction notices to be given is not a service JPD offers for a couple of reasons, it would be a staffing burden and we would have to be careful of the legal exposure.

In your situation it might be wise to check with a civil attorney and see if certified mail or some other service, not in person, would satisfy the landlord tenant act. If the person refuses to leave and there is a safety concern you can ask the court for a writ of assistance to have police get involved physically.

Whenever the police get involved officers need to know they have legal justification if they end up having to restrain the person, physically remove them, take children, etc…that is why the court authorization is important. People often ask that officers just standby so nothing happens but officers have to think in terms of assuming something will happen and they will have to take action and justify that action.

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