6:53 Aleknagik is a small community 20 miles up the road from Bristol Bay’s western hub of Dillingham. It has around 200 residents, but no local police. So, for years, when someone in Aleknagik called 911, the person on the other end of the line couldn’t offer direct help. That was dangerous, said Kay Andrews, Aleknagik’s city administrator. “Five years ago, my daughter tried to call 911, and she was told to call another number,” said Andrews. “This was an emergency. She has no means to write another number and then hang up the phone and call another number.” The problem was that 911 calls were routed to the Dillingham police, who don’t have jurisdiction in Aleknagik, because it’s outside of Dillingham’s city limits. The issue highlighted the patchwork — and often inefficient — emergency-call system in rural Alaska.