The research compared the tasks of the Alaska Village Public Safety Officers (VPSO) in Alaska Native villages and those performed by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Canadian Inuit communities. The data came from separate studies published in 1992 and 1995. The analysis revealed that these police perform a variety of tasks, of which law enforcement is only a small part. In these jurisdictions the police fill public safety and community service functions that have more in common with the early period of policing in the west than with contemporary urban policing. The lack of economies of scale requires police officers serving in these remote areas to take a proactive approach and to assume many responsibilities that their urban counterparts would not even consider. Examples include giving rabies vaccinations to dogs, fighting fires, and administering driver's license exams. The findings suggest that those selecting and hiring police for remote Arctic communities should look for individuals who display resourcefulness, a diversity of skills, and an ability to learn and should train them for the wide range of tasks they will encounter. Figures, table, notes, and 32 references (Author abstract modified)