Alaska Department of Public Safety

Alaska Department of Public Safety
Alaska Department of Public Safety patch
Alaska Department of Public Safety patch
AbbreviationAlaska DPS
MottoLoyalty, Integrity, Courage
Agency overview
Formed1959
Annual budget$182,000,000
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionAlaska, USA
Jurisdiction of the Alaska Department of Public Safety
Size663,268 square miles (1,717,900 km2)
Population683,879 (2020)
Legal jurisdictionAlaska Statewide
Governing bodyGovernment of Alaska
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters450 Whittier St. Juneau, Alaska
Governor of Alaska responsible
  • Mike Dunleavy
Agency executives
  • James Cockrell, Commissioner
  • Bryan Barlow, Deputy Commissioner
Website
Alaska DPS website
Not to be confused with Alaska State Troopers.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety is a law enforcement agency with its usual focus being the protection of life, property and wildlife resources in the state of Alaska in the United States.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety is under the direction of Commissioner James Cockrell.

Alaska DPS personnel enforce laws related to criminal statutes, traffic, wildlife, and fire. The Alaska DPS also performs search and rescue, court services and maintains criminal justice records.

Divisions[edit]

DPS has five divisions:

DPS also administers:

Unique feature[edit]

Unlike DPS agencies in many other states, due to the vast area of Alaska and limited local enforcement agencies, Alaska's DPS is the primary law enforcement and public safety organization for most of the state. The men and women of DPS provide service in conditions not usually found in many other parts of the country.

Fallen Officers[edit]

There have been 16 Alaska State Troopers, 1 Court Services Officer, and 2 K9s killed since its beginning in 1948.

Rank Name Date of Death Cause of Death Age Location
Officer Gary George Wohlfeil 03-05-1964 Killed along with Officer Leroy Garvin Bohuslov in an aircraft crash northwest of Fairwell, Alaska while conducting a low-level caribou survey 22 northwest of Fairwell, Alaska
Officer Leroy Garvin Bohuslov 03-05-1964 Killed along with Officer Gary George Wohlfeil in an aircraft crash northwest of Fairwell, Alaska while conducting a low-level caribou survey 38 northwest of Fairwell, Alaska
Trooper Dennis Finbar Cronin 02-18-1974 Shot and killed in his squad car while meeting with an informant; the shooter then committed suicide and his motives are unknown 31 Anchorage, Alaska
Trooper Frank Stuart Rodman 12-11-1974 Killed along with Trooper Larry Robert Carr; they were transporting a drowning victim back in an airplane when the plane crashed in the ocean, 10 minutes away from landing, for unknown reasons; only 1 out of the 3 bodies were found 25 off the coast of Kodiak Island, Alaska
Trooper Larry Robert Carr 12-11-1974 Killed along with Trooper Frank Stuart Rodman; they were transporting a drowning victim back in an airplane when the plane crashed in the ocean, 10 minutes away from landing, for unknown reasons; only 1 out of the 3 bodies were found 23 off the coast of Kodiak Island, Alaska
Trooper Roland Edgar Chevalier Skip, Jr. 04-03-1982 Shot and killed after intervening in a domestic dispute between a drunk father and mentally-ill son at Cleary Summit Ski Area; shot with a .30-.06 33 Cleary Summit Ski Area in Fairbanks, Alaska
Sergeant John David Stimson 01-14-1983 Killed overnight by hypothermia after a helicopter crash while searching for a missing pilot; the pilot broke his back and Stimson made him as comfortable as possible; the pilot survived 41 near Cordova, Alaska
Trooper Troy Lynn Duncan 05-19-1984 Shot and killed while he and other SWAT members searched for a serial killer in the woods by helicopter; the shooter opened fire and hit Trooper Duncan, he was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran 34 near Manley Hot Springs, Alaska
Sergeant Robert Lee Bittick 10-11-1994 Killed in an aircraft crash during bad weather 55 near Haines, Alaska
Trooper Bruce Alan Heck 01-10-1997 Killed in a fight on a traffic stop on Glenn Highway 42 in between Mendeltna and Tolsona, Alaska
Sergeant David C. Churchill 11-16-1998 Killed when he suffered a heart attack while hiking up a mountain searching for a hunting party 51 N/A
Trooper James A. Moen 06-25-2001 Killed in an aircraft crash; causes of the crash are unknown 49 in Lake Iliamna, Alaska
Trooper Hans-Peter Roelle 11-24-2001 Shot and killed after chasing a suspect to his home 40 Wasilla, Alaska
Trooper Tage Brandel Toll 03-30-2013 Killed in a helicopter crash while on a search and rescue mission 40 Near Talkeetna, Alaska
Sergeant Patrick Scott Johnson 05-01-2014 Shot and killed along with Trooper Gabriel Lenox Rich while responding to reports of a person with a firearm 45 Tanana, Alaska
Trooper Gabriel Lenox Rich 05-01-2014 Shot and killed along with Sergeant Patrick Scott Johnson while responding to reports of a person with a firearm 26 Tanana, Alaska
K9 Helo 11-25-2016 Shot and killed while chasing a suspect through the woods after a vehicle chase N/A Palmer, Alaska
K9 Rico 03-26-2017 Shot and killed while chasing a suspect after a vehicle chase 3 Wasilla, Alaska
Court Services Officer Curtis Worland 12-13-2022 Killed by a muskox while defending a dog kennel Nome, Alaska

See also[edit]

External links[edit]


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