Alaska State Troopers

Infobox Law enforcement agency
agencyname = Alaska State Troopers
commonname =
abbreviation = AST
patch = AlaskaST.jpg


motto =
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preceding1 = State Police
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country = United States
divtype = State
divname = Alaska
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mapcaption =
governingbody =
constitution1 =
police = Yes
local = No
headquarters = Anchorage, Alaska
sworn = 240
unsworn =
minister1name =
minister1pfo =
chief1name =
chief1position =
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boat1type = Police boat
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aircraft1type = Helicopter
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website = [http://www.dps.state.ak.us/ast/default.aspx Alaska State Troopers]

The Alaska State Troopers are the State Police for the State of Alaska, a Division of the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

History

The Troopers trace their heritage back more than a century, but there was no Alaska-wide police force until 1941, when the Territorial Legislature created the Alaska Highway Patrol. This force went through a series of name changes, becoming the Alaska Territorial Police in 1953, the Alaska State Police after statehood in 1959, and the Alaska State Troopers in 1967.

Before the founding of the Troopers, law enforcement in Alaska was performed by a succession of federal agencies: first the U.S. Army, then the U.S. Navy and Revenue Cutter Service, and finally the U.S. Marshals Service after a civil government was formed in 1884.

Duties

While most state police organizations are primarily charged with traffic and highway patrol duties, Alaska State Troopers are responsible for enforcing all criminal and traffic laws throughout the state, making them the primary law enforcement agency for many Alaska residents. This is due to Alaska's unique characteristics of limited access and lack of local government in many areas of the state.

The Division of Alaska State Troopers (AST) is charged with statewide law enforcement, prevention of crime, pursuit and apprehension of offenders, service of civil and criminal process, prisoner transportation, central communications, and search and rescue.

The Division is divided into five detachments and two bureaus. Detachments A, B, C, D, and E, and Alaska Bureau of Investigation (ABI), and Alaska Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Enforcement (ABADE). Each Detachment is charged with Division responsibilities within a specific geographic area. Each Bureau is responsible for the statewide discharge of their specific duties and overall responsibilities. Both Detachments and Bureaus are responsible for ensuring efforts are made towards meeting the Division's core missions as it relates to their respective enforcement programs, public education, training, fiscal planning and implementation.

The Alaska State Troopers' six core missions in meeting these responsibilities are:

*reduce the impact of drugs and alcohol on communities through statewide drug and alcohol enforcement;
*provide professional, effective and efficient statewide major crime investigations;
*provide prompt professional proactive and reactive rural public safety services;
*protect Alaska's fish and wildlife resources through enforcement programs;
*enhance public safety through highway traffic enforcement and education;
*provide quality statewide training. [ [http://www.dps.state.ak.us/ast/ Alaska State Troopers Website] ]

Village Public Safety Officer Program

The Alaska State Troopers also manage the Village Public Safety Officer program, which provides a police presence in remote villages too small for a trooper post. Officers carry out wildlife protection through the Division of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement, engage in search and rescue of missing persons and perform services usually performed by county sheriff's departments in other states, such as prisoner transport. VPSOs do not carry firearms, although they are trained with non lethal weapons, such as pepper spray and expandable batons. [ [http://www.dps.state.ak.us/ast/vpso/faq.aspx Alaska State Troopers Website] ]

The Village Public Safety Officer Program began in the late 1970s as a means of providing rural Alaskan communities with needed public safety services at the local level. The program was created to reduce the loss of life due to fires, drowning, lost person, and the lack of immediate emergency medical assistance in rural communities. The Village Public Safety Officer Program was designed to train and employ individuals residing in the village as first responders to public safety emergencies such as search and rescue, fire protection, emergency medical assistance, crime prevention and basic law enforcement. [ [http://www.dps.state.ak.us/ast/vpso/ Alaska State Troopers Website] ]

Academy

The Alaska State Trooper Academy is located in Sitka, Alaska and trains Alaska State Troopers as well as other types of law enforcement personnel.

The academy is technically known as the Alaska Department of Public Safety Training Academy (also the DPS Academy). The academy staff trains state troopers, municipal police officers, state park rangers, fire marshals, U.S. Coast Guard SPs, and Village Public Safety Officers.

The academy offers two Alaska Law Enforcement Training (ALET) courses a year. This 15 week program gives state troopers and municipal officers the basic academy certificate required by the Alaska Police Standards Council.

The academy officially opened its doors in October 1974. Several additions to the training facility have been made since. A new wing with dorm rooms, weight training facility and multipurpose room was added in 2001. A firearms training range was built in cooperation with the City and Borough of Sitka about seven miles from the academy's main facility. This range boasts a classroom among other features and opened officially in 2004.

Fallen Officers

Since the establishment of the Alaska State Troopers, 11 officers have died in the line of duty. [ [http://www.odmp.org/agency/45-alaska-state-troopers-alaska The Officer Down Memorial Page] ] [ [http://www.odmp.org/agency/46-alaska-state-troopers---fish-and-wildlife-protection-alaska The Officer Down Memorial Page] ]

ee also

* Alaska State Troopers Museum
* List of law enforcement agencies in Alaska
* State police
* State patrol
* Highway patrol

References

External links

* [http://www.dps.state.ak.us/ast/ Alaska Department of Public Safety]