People! Thank you for answering again. I'm very sorry, but I'll get very specific. I completely understand if you don't want to answer the questions.
My questions are: as far as I understand, the North Slope Borough Police Department, since it is the only one handling all that area, is very well equipped. I've seen that they have helicopters and AK47s, over 100 employees, etc. Thus, that would mean that they would have enough resources to conduct DNA testing and what-not, right? Where does this come from: normally, when we think about city sizes, the smaller the city is, the less resources police officers have and, in some cases, they even have to buy some of the supplies - like what happens to teachers, for example. Since it is responsible for the whole Northern area, I suppose that is not true in this case, right? I've read that they have the largest k-9 unit in Alaska and that they even have a SWAT team. Do they really have a SWAT team? I'm asking this from a totally different culture, ok? I mean no disrespect, it's just that, for us, that only see SWAT teams in movies, that idea is like WOW, mind-blowing. On the same note, considering that it's the only police department, does the NBPD have specific departments or do police officers have to handle all types of incidents - meaning: are there specific police officers that are homicide detectives, for example, or do they do everything? Oh, and last thing. Are the streets patrolled?
I know about the drug and alcohol problem, have been reading extensively about it. I also read that the city is kind of dangerous in terms of domestic violence and rapes. I've checked the records and saw that there are a bunch of registered sex offenders. I also read somewhere that most of this problem has to do with people getting drunk and molesting members of their own families.
I've watched some videos that have shown me basically almost everything there is in Barrow. This one was done by a nice lady, who filmed everything and even gave the viewers an idea of how many minutes it takes to go from one place to another. It was very entertaining and interesting, so I kind of understood the basic structure of the city. She says that everyday people receive 50 gallons of water and the sewage is collected. I understand that this happens because it's so cold that there is no way all houses could be connected to pipes to receive water or remove sewage automatically. Is that so? I was reading the 2015 Census and it says that most houses have access to water and sewerage system. When she was showing her house, she also showed the cunnychuck. From what I understand, that room serves as some sort of buffer, that isolates the house from the outside and is also used to keep some things stored, dry, and frozen. Is that right? Do all houses have cunnychucks? I saw that some of them also have a storage area outside, dug into the permafrost, where the Inupiat keep their food frozen. Thinking about the cunnychuck and the house, do people keep their heating on all the time even when they are not home? When I lived in NJ, which is not even close to the weather in Alaska, I know, the heating was automatic, so it turned on and off according to whatever temperature was set. I know the houses are different and I am pretty sure there is no central heating, thus, how does it work? Do people use fireplaces?
I live in a huge city, thus, I know it's pretty difficult to develop community bonds, because people are too busy coming and going. I know that when you live in a small city, the dynamic is completely different. I watch a lot of crime shows on TV and, whenever something happens, the whole community is affected and people come together to help each other. That is something that is really different in the USA, this sense of community, which is really hard to find in other places. I take that, being so small, the same happens in Barrow. Considering that the city is only accessible by plane, from my point of view, people start recognizing each other with time, even when they don't know each other - I mean, the faces - like, oh, that guy is the one who moved next to xxx last Summer. I also read that families are very important and that people develop very close relationships, because it's necessary for survival. I don't mean to say that it's a perfect place where everybody loves everybody, I just think it works - in simple terms - as if there were a permanent neighborhood watch program, where people are always looking out and paying attention, because people can die because of the weather and of wild animals. Is that very distant from the truth? Still on that line of thought: if something serious happens, all the Inupiat elders and the community would organize meetings and the problem would be discussed with the authorities and people would take action, I suppose?
From what I hear, the Inupiat are very active and have their say in almost everything that is decided in Barrow. From the information I have gathered, I saw that they make up almost 70% of the people in Barrow, whereas Caucasians have dropped to about 11%. Is this proportion mirrored in terms of law enforcement employees and public servants? Are there racial tensions?
In Winter, I know that there is no sun for over 60 days. However, I read in another thread there, that there is a bit of light. I understand that the little light you get is not considered daylight, but twilight. So, it is kind of dark but not really dark for those few hours?
I know there is not a lot to do in Barrow in terms of entertainment. I saw some pictures on the police department's Facebook page about some movies they were showing around Winter. I read on a book that they have get togethers sponsored by the church, with music and dancing, and some dinners where people can mingle? It was fiction, so I have no idea if that was imagined or if it's real.
I read somewhere too, that there is a heated tunnel under Barrow that houses all the cables for the internet, etc. Is that correct? No need to describe the tunnel, I just want to have an idea of what people have access to. I mean, I look up and see cables hanging from telephone poles, so I just take things for granted, you know?
I also read that when someone dies, they are sent to State Medical Examiner Office and they can only be buried once the autopsy has been conducted and the body is returned to Barrow and that depends on the bottleneck of cases in Anchorage and on the flight schedules. So, nobody can be buried right away? It always takes a few days between transferring the body to Anchorage and getting it back?
I'm pretty sure I have more things to ask, but off the top of my head, that's what I remember. I would be really, really, really grateful if you guys could tell me about these things. Thank you so, so much.
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