By DARRELL L. BREESE
Alaska Star

The Justin T. Wollam Substation is set to be a part of the new Eagle River Town Center. It will be the only manned Anchorage Police Department substation in the municipality.

The local substation is one of two named in memory of an APD officer killed in the line of duty; the other is the Dan R. Seely Substation in Spenard.

“The Wollam station will be special, not just because it will be staffed,” said APD Chief Rob Heun. “It is special because it will serve as a constant reminder to the officers on the force and the community of the commitment and danger officers proudly face every day to keep our city safe.”

The sign at the current Anchorage Police Departmet Substation on Eagle River Road, shows the station has been names for fallen officer Justin Wollam. The new substation, in the Eagle River Town Center will also feature the memorial to the officer who was killed while on duty in 2001. Star Photo By DARRELL L. BREESE

On July 9, 2001, Officer Wollam responded to a call for assistance to apprehend a drunken driver who was headed north on the Glenn Highway from Anchorage. Wollam left his post in Eagle River and spotted a vehicle driving erratically.

At approximately 3:56 a.m., the suspect vehicle collided with Officer Wollam’s police cruiser on the Glenn Highway “S curves” in front of the National Guard Armory. He was killed instantly. The 19-year-old driver of the other vehicle and two of his teenage female passengers also died in the crash.

Officer Wollam was 28 years old and had been with APD for two years. He worked with the Texas police departments in Angleton and Danbury before joining APD.

He is survived by his wife, Kristy, and their daughter, Kristin.

Having the substation named for Wollam is an honor Chief Heun wishes he never had the opportunity to mention.

“It means one of my brothers died,” he said. “But it also means we are keeping his memory alive. We have many new officers on the force now and the community in Eagle River is growing. Without the memorial to honor officer Wollam, we run the risk of forgetting him.”

Heun said even if people just think of Wollam and the other fallen officers for one second when they talk about the substation, it keeps the memory alive.

“Cops lock and load everyday they go to work,” he said. “Its important for the community to understand the potential risk officers face with every call they respond to. Justin’s memorial will serve as that reminder.”

There will be a plaque and photo to honor Wollam mounted inside the substation when it opens next month. Yet Heun thinks having Wollam’s name on the large sign out front for all to see will make the biggest difference in the community.

“We could have just put up a sanitary Anchorage Police Department sign, but that is not good enough,” he said. “Presenting the department in a manner that honors an officer who died protecting the community, personalizes things a little more, and gives the community something they can be proud of.”

Reach the reporter at darrellbreese.@alaskastar.com.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, July 9, 2009.