Alaska

Alaska State Troopers release body camera policy for public review as APD rollout remains in limbo

Published

2 years ago

February 2, 2023

Alaska State Troopers release body camera policy for public review as APD rollout remains in limbo

An Alaska State Trooper wears a Motorola V300 physique cam. February 2023. (Photograph supplied by AST)

The Division of Public Security launched a draft coverage this week that particulars how Alaska State Troopers and different state legislation enforcement officers will use physique cameras.

The division plans to launch a pilot program within the spring and roll out the complete program by the top of the yr, outfitting troopers, village public security officers, court docket providers officers and deputy hearth marshals, officers mentioned.

Within the meantime, Alaska’s different giant legislation enforcement company, the Anchorage Police Division, has no set date for placing cameras into motion regardless of rising public stress to take action. The division has been working to equip officers with the expertise for practically two years, after voters accredited a $1.8 million annual tax improve to fund the mission and replace file administration and dispatch programs.

Whereas there are tough estimates for when the division now plans to pick out a vendor to provide the gear for physique cameras and finalize the coverage, it’s nonetheless unclear when officers can be outfitted with the units.

Many police departments across the nation have turned to physique cameras as a instrument to assist improve public belief and enhance transparency and accountability. The expertise has turn into a nationwide focus in recent times as protests towards police brutality mounted within the wake of Minneapolis police’s killing of George Floyd in 2020.

Extra lately, Memphis police final week launched physique digicam footage that confirmed officers beating 29-year-old Tyre Nichols and sparked outrage throughout the nation. He died within the hospital three days later. The 5 officers concerned had been fired and have been indicted on homicide prices.

[Memphis’s SkyCop cameras couldn’t prevent Tyre Nichols’ beating death]

Physique cameras are commonplace in a majority of huge police departments throughout the nation. In Alaska, quite a few legislation enforcement companies, together with police departments in Juneau and Fairbanks, have been utilizing the expertise for years.

Now the general public is getting its first take a look at the state’s plans to outfit troopers and different legislation enforcement officers.

DPS coverage open for remark

The draft Division of Public Security coverage outlines the parameters to be used of the cameras, together with how the company plans to deal with sharing footage with the general public.

The coverage was launched Wednesday and can be open for remark from Feb. 8 till March 1. Feedback will be emailed to dps.bwc.feedback@alaska.gov or mailed to the division at 5700 E. Tudor Highway in Anchorage.

In a press release, the division mentioned the coverage was modeled off nationwide finest practices. A spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska mentioned the group has not but had time to research the draft state coverage.

As proposed, the coverage permits for the general public launch of digicam footage in crucial incidents, like officer-involved shootings, after preliminary interviews have been accomplished with concerned events. Officers might launch such footage proactively, with no public information request. Footage will in any other case be out there to the general public solely via a information request after the investigation or court docket proceedings have concluded.

The draft coverage states that officers ought to “start recording as quickly as sensible” throughout interactions with the general public, together with throughout visitors enforcement, citizen complaints, arrests and different conditions the place it could be helpful to have a recording. If an officer fails to file an incident or has a expertise malfunction, they might be anticipated to doc why they didn’t make a recording. Officers might be disciplined or must endure further coaching if a supervisor famous they had been repeatedly not utilizing the cameras.

The coverage doesn’t enable for officers concerned in shootings or use-of-force conditions to assessment footage earlier than they endure a proper interview.

The division plans to deploy 30 physique cameras to troopers or wildlife troopers within the Inside, Mat-Su and on the Kenai Peninsula throughout the pilot program this spring, company spokesman Austin McDaniel mentioned. Plans for the ultimate rollout can be knowledgeable by the pilot program, he mentioned.

The draft coverage additionally outlines a number of capabilities of sporting cameras: enhancing officer security; preserving data for investigations or court docket testimony; aiding with officer evaluations and possible trigger assessment for arrests; and enhancing “the general public’s belief by correct representations of officer-public interactions within the type of video and audio recordings.”

[Alaska public defenders will begin refusing cases in Nome and Bethel, citing staff shortage]

The Division of Public Security initially deliberate to launch a draft coverage in December and totally outfit greater than 400 staff with physique cameras by summer time. These plans had been delayed by “vital” edits to the coverage final month concerning the digicam mannequin, McDaniel mentioned.

The division bought 600 Motorola V300 physique cameras, together with essential software program and equipment, in November for slightly below $3 million. The division has the cameras wanted for the pilot program, however expects the remainder of them to reach this summer time, McDaniel mentioned.

The division acquired roughly $3.5 million from the Legislature and was awarded practically $1 million in matching federal grant funds for this system.

This system may have ongoing prices, together with for storage, that can be higher estimated as this system will get underway, Commissioner James Cockrell has mentioned. Physique digicam footage may have implications for the court docket system as a result of it is going to improve the quantity of proof out there to prosecutors and protection attorneys.

The division can also be working to handle challenges that might come up for rural officers, who might not have entry to dependable web service wanted to again up footage to the cloud storage system, McDaniel mentioned.

APD physique cameras overdue

Anchorage voters accredited a $1.8 million tax improve in April 2021 with the understanding that the Anchorage Police Division deliberate to have officers sporting physique cameras by the top of that yr. Funding was additionally allotted for upgrades to the division’s file administration and computer-aided dispatch programs.

Now, practically two years later, the division nonetheless has a number of main hurdles to beat earlier than physique cameras will be put into use in Anchorage — together with buying the gear and finalizing a coverage to be used.

The Anchorage Police Division has come beneath hearth over the previous yr for the long-standing delays in outfitting officers and officers’ refusal to offer a timeline for the mission.

Police have collected $3 million in taxes, which has been used to improve the dispatch and file administration programs. These upgrades had been crucial and needed to be completed earlier than physique cameras had been applied as a result of the outdated programs had been failing, APD spokeswoman Renee Oistad mentioned. The initiatives, nonetheless, aren’t depending on each other for completion.

Police have spent greater than $700,000 up to now on these upgrades, which APD spokeswoman Sunny Guerin mentioned are anticipated to be totally applied by the primary quarter of subsequent yr. The division signed a $4.4 million contract with the software program firm that can cowl implementation, upkeep and assist providers for 5 years.

The Anchorage Police Division plans to gather the complete $1.8 million in taxes this yr, Guerin mentioned. The division additionally acquired an extra $890,000 in federal funds to go towards physique digicam implementation.

Chief Michael Kerle mentioned throughout a municipal public security committee assembly Wednesday that the division goals to pick out a vendor to provide the gear by the top of March. APD is contemplating three distributors that submitted proposals for the mission. Officers will meet with the distributors and see an indication this month or in early March, Kerle mentioned.

It’s unclear how lengthy it will likely be till the division finalizes a contract with the chosen vendor, he mentioned.

Police officers revealed their final draft of the coverage to be used in March of 2022, however progress has since come to a standstill attributable to disagreements with the union representing officers over the coverage, which is topic to collective bargaining as a result of it represents a change in working circumstances. Union officers have taken difficulty with a piece of the coverage that doesn’t enable officers to assessment footage earlier than being interviewed in use-of-force conditions.

The division and the Anchorage Police Division Workers Affiliation are anticipated to enter into arbitration in April. Police officers on Wednesday mentioned they’re persevering with discussions with the union to attempt to resolve the problems with out arbitration, however they in any other case hope to have a call again from the arbitrator by late fall.

The draft APD physique digicam coverage has been met with criticism over sections about launch of footage and since the coverage doesn’t embody details about disciplinary measures to be taken if officers are discovered to be not utilizing the cameras persistently. The Anchorage Police Division won’t robotically launch footage of police shootings or use-of-force incidents. The footage can solely be obtained via a municipal public information request — a prolonged and costly course of.

It stays unclear when the whole pressure can be outfitted. Kerle has beforehand mentioned he intends to roll out this system on a restricted foundation, probably with solely 5 or 6 officers sporting physique cameras every shift.

• • •

Source link

Alaska

Skiers Likely Dead After Avalanche In Alaska – Videos from The Weather Channel

Published

11 hours ago

March 6, 2025

Press Room

Source link

Alaska

Alaska political leaders excited by President Trump’s backing of gas pipeline in address to Congress

Published

22 hours ago

March 5, 2025

Press Room

Alaska political leaders excited by President Trump’s backing of gas pipeline in address to Congress

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Alaska political leaders on Wednesday broadly welcomed President Donald Trump’s remarks to Congress talking up the prospects of the state’s long-sought but faltering natural gas pipeline.

In his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, the president said, “It will be truly spectacular. It’s all set to go.”

Trump said South Korea and Japan want to partner and invest “trillions of dollars each” into the “gigantic” pipeline, which has been estimated to cost $44 billion. Japanese news outlets reported Tuesday that no final investment decisions had been made by either nation.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy — who earlier in his political career was skeptical of the pipeline — said that the president’s support “will ensure this massive LNG project is completed, and clean Alaska gas supplies our Asian allies and our Alaskan residents for decades to come.”

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said on social media that “the stars are aligned like never before” for the project, which he called “a decades-long energy dream for Alaska.”

In a later post, Sullivan said that he and Dunleavy had urged Trump to give Alaska LNG a “shout out” in his congressional address.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who in recent days has been critical of Trump’s moves to fire federal employees en masse, freeze federal funding and publicly criticize Ukraine’s president, thanked Trump for promoting the pipeline on the national stage.

“This project can provide Alaska and the world with clean and affordable energy for decades to come, while creating thousands of new jobs and generating billions of dollars in new revenues,” Murkowski said.

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich said, “Alaska is poised to play a central role in America’s energy resurgence.”

The decades-long plan to construct an 800-mile pipeline to deliver natural gas from the North Slope for export has stalled in recent years.

In his speech to Congress, Trump said, “My administration is also working on a gigantic natural gas pipeline in Alaska, among the largest in the world, where Japan, South Korea and other nations want to be our partner with investments of trillions of dollars each. It has never been anything like that one. It will be truly spectacular. It’s all set to go. The permitting has gotten.”

The Alaska Gasline Development Corp. — the state agency leading the project — has state and federal permits, but it has not secured financing.

A corporation spokesperson thanked Trump on Wednesday for his “vocal advocacy” for the pipeline.

“There is tremendous momentum behind Alaska LNG from potential offtakers, financiers, and other partners eager to participate in this national energy infrastructure priority,” said Tim Fitzpatrick, an AGDC spokesperson, by email.

Conservative Republican state legislators have been more supportive and optimistic about the project in recent months. The Republican House minority caucus thanked Trump for prioritizing Alaska LNG.

“The proposed LNG project will not only be a huge boost to the economy of Alaska but provide the nation with long term energy security and provide our allies in the global marketplace with needed resources,” said Anchorage GOP Rep. Mia Costello, the House minority leader.

But Alaska state lawmakers have remained broadly skeptical.

The Legislature last year planned to shutter AGDC because it had failed to deliver a pipeline.

”There’s still a lot we need to learn,” said Anchorage Democratic Rep. Donna Mears, chair of the House Energy Committee.

Legislators have questioned who will finance the project, who will buy the gas, whether a connection would be built to deliver gas to Fairbanks, and if the state would need to invest some of its resources to see the pipeline built.

Members of the Senate majority recently estimated that the state had already spent well over $1 billion to advance the pipeline and related projects.

AGDC recently announced that Glenfarne, a New York-based company, in January signed an exclusive agreement with the state agency to lead development of the project.

Palmer Republican Sen. Shelley Hughes said at the time that the outlook for Alaska LNG was “more positive than it’s ever been.”

One factor that has revived interest: Trump’s tariff threats against Japan and South Korea, The New York Times reported.

Japanese news outlets reported on Tuesday that while South Korea and Japan’s governments are continuing to study the project, no final investment decisions have been made.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told Japan’s parliament on Tuesday that “we will carefully examine its technical possibilities and profitability,” The Japan Times reported.

Larry Persily, an oil and gas analyst and former Alaska deputy commissioner of revenue, said it would be significant if Japan and South Korea signed binding agreements to buy Alaska gas. Pledging to examine the project would be familiar to Alaskans, he said.

“We’ve had decades of that,” he said.

Nick Fulford, an analyst with the Legislature’s oil and gas consultant GaffneyCline, presented to legislative committees on Wednesday about the global gas market and Alaska LNG.

Fulford said Alaska LNG would be a “very expensive project” due to capital costs, but its operating costs would be relatively low. The Alaska project’s vulnerabilities — compared to gas developments in the Middle East — are based on “capital cost inflation,” he said.

GaffneyCline’s forecasts for natural gas demand in coming decades range widely, so do cost estimates for construction of the Alaska pipeline.

Persily said at lower demand levels, Alaska LNG does not seem to be needed in the global market. Wide-ranging cost estimates to complete the project are a cause for concern, he said.

“We’re far away from having a reasonable, confident estimate,” Persily said. “Is it a $44 billion project? Is it $50 billion? Is it $60 billion? We don’t know.”

Source link

Alaska

Multiple heli-skiers trapped in Alaska’s remote backcountry after avalanche

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2025

Press Room

Multiple heli-skiers trapped in Alaska’s remote backcountry after avalanche

Multiple skiers were reported trapped in the Alaska backcountry after being swept up in an avalanche, Alaska State Troopers said Wednesday.

The number of skiers and their conditions were not immediately available.

The slide happened late Tuesday afternoon near the skiing community of Girdwood, located about 40 miles south of Anchorage, Austin McDaniel, a spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers, said in a text to The Associated Press.

Multiple skiers were reported trapped in the Alaska backcountry after being swept up in an avalanche, Alaska State Troopers said Wednesday. Getty Images

“Troopers received a report of an avalanche that caught multiple individuals who were heliskiing yesterday afternoon near the west fork of 20 Mile River,” McDaniel said. “The company that they were skiing with attempted to recover the skiers but were unable to due to the depth of the snow.”

The size of the avalanche and the depth of the snow was not immediately known.

He said troopers will attempt to reach the site on Wednesday, and may need an aircraft to get to the remote spot well off the Seward Highway.

Girdwood is the skiing capital of Alaska, and home to the Hotel Alyeska, at the base of Mount Alyeska, where people ski or snowboard.

At the top of the mountain is the Seven Glaciers Restaurant, named for its view.

Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the U.S., according to the National Avalanche Center.

One person was killed in an avalanche in central Colorado on Feb. 22. Authorities in Grand County responded to what they described as a skier-triggered avalanche in a steep area known as “The Fingers” above Berthoud Pass.

It was the second reported avalanche in the county that day.

A group of people relaxing along a creek below the Byron Glacier near Portage Lake in Girdwood, Alaska during a record-breaking heatwave — The number of skiers and their conditions is still unknown, according to reports. Getty Images

That avalanche death was the third in Colorado this winter and the second fatality in less than a week in that state, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

A Crested Butte snowboarder was killed Feb. 20 in a slide west of Silverton.

Elsewhere, three people died in avalanches Feb. 17 — one person near Lake Tahoe and two backcountry skiers in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains.

On Feb. 8, a well-known outdoor guide was caught in an avalanche in Utah and was killed.

Source link