The new police officer in Galena is Paul Pajak.

He started working here on Jan. 11, coming to our community from Louisiana.

“My whole life I’ve always wanted to come to Alaska,” he said. “I was reading a lot of Jack London stories as a kid, I guess.”

Mr. Pajak, 41, was born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y. He worked as a power plant operator and firefighter in Indiana. After working the Federal Emergency Management Agency following hurricane Katrina, he decided to stay in Louisiana, first as a probation and parole officer for the department for corrections.

He then attended police academy and worked as a patrolman and detective for the Bogalusa, La., police department.

He is looking forward to working in Galena and serving the students in our school.

“If they ever need anything,” he said, “My door is always open.”

He said he is looking forward to attending sports and other community events.

Mr. Pajak said that his aim as a police officer is to “treat everyone with respect and dignity,” adding that he wanted to “try to prevent crimes from happening before they take place.”

He wants to be seen on campuses regularly and meet everyone in the town he serves.

Mr. Pajak has a wife, Deirdra, and a son, Caden, 9.