ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaska State Troopers lastly acquired funding wanted to buy body-worn cameras, which is able to quickly be issued as customary gear for all troopers and Alaska Wildlife Troopers all through the state, in response to Division of Public Security Commissioner James Cockrell.
This $4 million buy has been years within the making, and has been on the heart of controversy for individuals who really feel troopers ought to have been outfitted with physique cameras way back.
The division has lastly secured the funding wanted, which started when america Division of Justice offered slightly below 1,000,000 {dollars} final yr. These federal {dollars} will now be mixed with $3 million Gov. Mike Dunleavy just lately allotted from the state’s common fund throughout his fiscal yr 2023 funds, earmarked for the division’s wants, which included body-worn cameras.
The federal grant cash has guidelines that require Cockrell to first administer the cameras to troopers stationed in rural villages, the place security considerations are most prevalent.
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“We’ve obtained some hurdles to beat — particularly connectivity in our rural areas like Bethel, Emmonak and Selawik — locations that we have now troopers and CSO’s and VPSO’s,” Cockrell stated.
Cockrell stated that the transition into small villages ought to happen by the start of subsequent yr, and that he hopes to have each trooper outfitted with physique cams by the center of subsequent yr.
“We’re excited. I feel it’s good for the general public, I do know it’s good for our troopers,” Cockrell stated. “I feel it’ll cut back our litigation, instances that might go to court docket, as a result of every little thing is simply going to be on the market.”
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s new funds allotted $24 million earmarked to handle the wants of the division. Cockrell stated that he intends to make use of the funds, partially, to rent as much as 100 extra troopers. He plans to unfold them extra evenly throughout the state. At the moment, the division is barely approved to supply 319 trooper and 87 wildlife trooper positions. Cockrell says these new physique cams ought to reassure the general public that instances will probably be dealt with transparently, particularly since copies of physique cam movies may also be accessible to buy.
KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — The remains of Zulkifli Yusuf, who died after being stranded on Mount Denali in Alaska, have been brought down from the mountain.
The Alpine Club Malaysia stated this in a Facebook post today.
“We received information from the Consulate-General of Malaysia in Los Angeles and rescuers that the 37-year-old’s remains were brought down at 8.30am on June 1 (local time).
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“His remains are kept at a hospital in Anchorage, Alaska and will undergo further procedures. Malaysian consular representatives are helping his family deal with the insurance company to bring the body back to Malaysia,” it added.
The post added that two other climbers, Muhammad Illaham Ishak, 47, and Zainudin Lot, 47, are still being treated for frostbite in hospital.
The post also stated that the club’s representative Norsafrina Shamsir Md Nasir is currently in Talkeetna, Alaska to help bring back the remains and the other two climbers.
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The club said that those who need more information or have any enquiries could contact its liaison officer Ayob at 017-3372696.
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“For now, we request that their family members be given privacy and for all Malaysians to pray that all arrangements will proceed smoothly,” it added.
The Alpine Club Malaysia yesterday said that one of its three climbers who were stranded at an altitude of 19,700 feet on Mount Denali in Alaska, since Tuesday while climbing the tallest mountain in North America, has died.
The club said that Zulkifli reportedly died at 6 am (local time) on May 29 while taking shelter in a snow cave known as the ‘Football Field’. — Bernama
One man was killed early Saturday in a downtown Anchorage shooting, and responding officers shot and wounded another man who witnesses said had been involved, according to police.
According to an Anchorage Police Department statement, officers were making a bar-break patrol on the 700 block of West 4th Avenue at about 2:25 a.m. The officers then heard gunfire from a parking lot on the southeast corner of H Street and West 3rd Avenue, near the Nesbett Courthouse.
Police said that gunfire was from an “altercation” in the parking lot, which left one man dead at the scene and a second shot in the lower body.
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“The number of shooters, who they are, the motive behind the shooting, and whether the parties involved were known to one another are all under investigation,” police said. “Multiple people fled the scene once the parking lot shooting occurred.”
As the patrol officers responded, police said, witnesses pointed out a man to them and said he had been involved in the shooting.
“Officers engaged the male, who was armed with a gun, near 3rd Avenue and G Street,” police said in the statement. “Two officers discharged their weapons, striking the adult male in the upper and lower body.”
Police have not named the man killed during the initial encounter in the parking lot. The two injured men were both taken to local hospitals. Police said the man wounded in the initial shooting had injuries that weren’t life-threatening, and the man shot by officers was in stable condition.
Police are asking anyone who saw the initial shooting and hasn’t yet spoken with investigators to contact them at 311. Drivers can expect street closures Saturday in the vicinity of both shooting scenes, which police say are being investigated separately.
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The two officers involved in the subsequent shooting will be named in three days and have been placed on four days of administrative leave under standard APD policy, according to the statement. That shooting will be investigated first by the state Office of Special Prosecutions for any violations of state law, then by APD Internal Affairs for any violation of police policy.
Saturday’s encounter occurred as officers’ fatal shooting of Kristopher Handy at a Sand Lake apartment complex last month has placed the department under public scrutiny. APD Chief Designee Bianca Cross, appointed by outgoing Mayor Dave Bronson, said in a news conference hours after Handy’s May 13 death that he had raised a long gun at officers – a claim soon contradicted by a neighbor who said her surveillance footage showed otherwise. Cross also said that the four officers who shot Handy were wearing body cameras, but has said that footage will not be released until after an investigation, despite his family’s calls to do so immediately.
This story will be updated as additional details become available.
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Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
On the Must Read Alaska Show, host John Quick interviews Scott Kendall, a prominent litigator, strategic consultant, and lightning rod figure in campaign and election law in Alaska.
Scott shares his insights on ranked-choice voting vs. STAR voting, which was discussed on the MRAK Show recently with one of its co-developers, Mark Frohnmayer. Scott also discusses his experiences supporting various candidates, including his stance in the recent Anchorage mayoral race, in which he supported mayor-elect Suzanne LaFrance.
Scott also provides an analysis of some of the issues facing Alaska, such as education funding, teacher recruitment, and retention. Additionally, he offers his perspectives on the upcoming presidential election and local congressional races.
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Join John and Scott for a look at the current and future political landscape in Alaska, demonstrating the importance of thoughtful dialogue between differing view points.
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