Legislature(2021 - 2022)ADAMS 519
02/17/2022 01:30 PM House FINANCE
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Department of Public Safety | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 281 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 282 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE BILL NO. 281
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
loan program expenses of state government and for
certain programs; capitalizing funds; amending
appropriations; making reappropriations; making
supplemental appropriations; making appropriations
under art. IX, sec. 17(c), Constitution of the State
of Alaska, from the constitutional budget reserve
fund; and providing for an effective date."
HOUSE BILL NO. 282
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
capital expenses of the state's integrated
comprehensive mental health program; making capital
appropriations and supplemental appropriations; and
providing for an effective date."
^PRESENTATION: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
1:36:22 PM
LEON MORGAN, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
SAFETY, introduced himself.
KELLY HOWELL, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE COMMISSIONER,
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, introduced herself
JAMES COCKRELL, COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY,
introduced staff in the audience. He believed he had the
finest leadership staff the Department of Public Safety
(DPS) had ever had. He detailed that he had traveled around
the state meeting with the people of Alaska, and he wanted
citizens to know that the department was listening to their
concerns. He reported the state had the highest rate in the
country of sexual assault and domestic violence per capita
and the Yukon-Kuskokwim (YK) Delta had the highest rates in
the state. There were more sexual assaults reported in the
Bethel region than in the city of Anchorage. The department
had met with the Calista Corporation in the YK Delta to
discuss the topic. He detailed that the murder rate of
women was high in the state and many of the victims were
Alaska Native.
Commissioner Cockrell continued that the department was
focusing on its statutory requirements and concentrating
specifically on revitalizing the Village Public Safety
Officer (VPSO) program in rural Alaska. He emphasized that
the department was committed to growing the VPSO program in
addition to growing the number of Alaska State Troopers
(AST) on Alaska's roads. He was confident that if the
department received all the requested funds in the budget,
it would be able to provide increased safety to citizens
and ultimately save lives. He relayed that when he started
at the department about 40 years ago, AST had 308
authorized positions; in 2022, there were 315 positions. He
thought state funds had been allocated disproportionately
to urban areas and that rural areas were suffering. If the
trend continued, the federal government would have to fill
the void. He asserted that the state had an obligation to
provide adequate and professional law enforcement to all
communities. The department would continue to ask for more
resources because providing law enforcement was not cheap.
1:42:00 PM
Representative Thompson asked how the process was going of
finding housing in rural areas for public safety workers.
Commissioner Cockrell replied that there had been
productive conversations on housing in the department's
subcommittees. The department was struggling with finding
housing and was continuing to look for creative solutions.
Ms. Howell introduced a PowerPoint presentation titled
"Department of Public Safety FY2023 Department Overview,"
dated February 17, 2022 (copy on file). She began on slide
2. The department's mission was to ensure public safety and
enforce fish and wildlife laws. She listed some key
objectives, including the recruitment and retention of
staff, rural Alaska law enforcement and safety, domestic
violence and sexual assault, revitalizing the VPSO program,
commercial fishing and hunting, and narcotics and major
investigations.
Vice-Chair Ortiz referenced Ms. Howell's statement about
revitalizing the VPSO program. He asked if more would be
done to improve the program in addition to increasing the
number of VPSOs.
Commissioner Cockrell answered that one of the first things
he had done when he came to the department was moving the
VPSO program directly into the commissioner's office. He
thought the action provided the program with the prominence
and oversight that it deserved. The department had recently
hired retired colonel Mr. Joel Hard to be the director of
the VPSO program and Mr. Hard had full freedom to change
the program in the department's desired direction. The
department wanted to provide more flexibility for the
grantees to run the program in the way that would best meet
the needs of the tribes and communities.
Commissioner Cockrell noted the high number of suicides in
rural communities and relayed that a community could choose
to hire someone specifically trained in suicide prevention
instead of a VPSO. The scope of VPSOs had changed in recent
years from a public safety officer that was likely from the
local village to a law enforcement officer who had likely
not grown up in the village or even in Alaska. The
department wanted to give a VPSO to any community that
wanted one. He indicated that the department had funding
for about 55 VPSOs and the governor had authorized an
additional 10 positions, but realistically, the number
needed to almost double. Around 15 years ago, the YK Delta
had between 20 and 30 VPSOs and it currently only had
three. The Bethel region had 57 villages and it was likely
that around 50 of them did not currently have a law
enforcement presence unless the village had a VPSO. The
department was authorized to employ 315 officers and he
wanted to increase the number to 415 officers.
1:50:44 PM
Co-Chair Foster asked for the number of VPSOs in the past
compared to the present.
Commissioner Cockrell answered that funding was currently
available for 55 VPSOs, the department had 48 "boots on the
ground," and the governor's budget would allow for up to 65
VPSOs. There were around 114 VPSOS in 2014, but the number
had been continuously decreasing partially due to budget
cuts in FY 15 through FY 17. One of the things on which the
department had been judged was the amount of funding in the
VPSO program that had been returned. He explained that part
of the issue was that the department ran the VPSO program
the same way it ran its own budget, which did not work for
the VPSO program. The department was not addressing the
variety of complicated elements involved in the VPSO
program. He believed the handling of the program had been a
failure but the department was now going in a different
direction. He asked the legislature to permit the
flexibility that he thought was necessary to meet the needs
of each individual community.
Co-Chair Merrick shared that she had chaired the DPS
subcommittee. She complimented Mr. Hard who had very
recently taken over the VPSO program. She looked forward to
the work he would do.
1:53:40 PM
Ms. Howell advanced to slide 3 and turned it over to her
colleague, Mr. Morgan.
Mr. Morgan addressed slide 3 regarding the statewide impact
of DPS. He read from the slide as follows:
• DPS is Alaska's primary statewide law enforcement
agency
• Direct support to other agencies
o Investigative assistance
o Search and rescue
o Training
o Alaska Public Safety Information Network
o Crime Lab
Ms. Howell turned to a 10-year lookback of the department's
operating budget on slide 4. She did not have the dollar
figures listed for the various fund sources and directed
the committee's attention to the Legislative Finance
Division's (LFD) graphs that showed the numbers. The FY 23
budget request reflected an overall increase from FY 22 of
about $36.6 million. She noted that about $24 million of
the request was comprised of unrestricted general funds
(UGF). However, $9.7 million of the overall increase was
related to the transfer of the Alaska Public Safety
Communications Services (APSCS) from the Department of
Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) into DPS.
Ms. Howell moved to slide 5 and discussed the department's
position history. There was a significant increase of 93
permanent full-time positions from FY 22 to FY 23; however
24 of the positions were transferred in from DMVA. There
were 17 new state trooper positions; 14 were Alaska State
Troopers and three were Alaska Wildlife Troopers.
Additionally, 46 civilian positions were added to provide
support to troopers and enhance other priority programs
such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons program
and domestic violence and sexual assault.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked if there were projections showing
the number of troopers the department anticipated would
retire in the coming five years.
Mr. Morgan responded that in the next one to five years,
there were 130 state trooper positions eligible for
retirement. The department was aware that there could be a
significant shift in the workforce and it was critical to
acknowledge the shift when strategizing recruitment and
retention efforts.
Representative LeBon looked at slide 5 showing the
authorized positions and the request for additional
positions in FY 23. He asked for the current number of
vacancies the department was trying to fill in addition to
the 17 new trooper positions.
1:59:48 PM
Ms. Howell advanced to the state trooper position history
on slide 6 to respond to Representative LeBon's question.
She shared that the number of vacancies for all public
safety positions was in the mid-60s. The number of
vacancies for AST specifically was around 38, but the
number took into account the individuals who would attend
the academy within the next two weeks. She believed there
would be 67 vacancies if the individuals who would attend
the academy were excluded. She noted that there would be
multiple academy sessions in the near future and she was
hopeful that the new recruits would come close to filling
the vacancies.
Representative LeBon asked if the 17 new trooper positions
were in addition to the 67 vacancies.
Mr. Morgan answered that on paper there were 67 vacancies,
but the number was expected to decrease to around 30 after
the department made job offers to the current recruits in
the following week. The department was doing everything it
could to keep its number of vacancies at around 30.
Maintaining the number of vacancies would allow the
department the stability it needed to be able to add more
positions the following year. The goal was to get to 415
troopers in the future and account for the upcoming
retirements that were currently pending. He explained that
it was necessary to have open positions in order to
recruit. He reiterated that the goal was to keep 30
positions open in order to stay ahead of the curve.
Representative LeBon understood that recruitment and
retention was challenging. He asked where the
aforementioned additional 14 ASTs would be located.
Mr. Morgan replied that the breakdown of the positions was
the following: one trooper in Fairbanks and one in Tok; one
technical flight officer in Fairbanks, one in Anchorage,
and one in Tok; one sergeant for the Anchorage Services
Unit which supported the Aleutians; and ten sergeants at
the training post in the "B" detachment.
Representative LeBon asked for verification the B
Detachment was in the Wasilla and Palmer area.
Mr. Morgan agreed.
Representative LeBon asked what situation had taken place
to warrant the increased number of troopers in the area.
Mr. Morgan responded the department had taken it upon
itself to shuffle troopers geographically to the areas of
need, particularly because there had been a dire need in
the Tok area. In order to add positions within the
department, the positions had to be added to the training
posts first and later on would be redistributed to other
areas of need in the state. He did not look at it as a
permanent position, but as a way to develop a better backup
for future needs. The B Detachment had one of the lowest
numbers of assigned troopers and had the highest population
to serve.
2:05:30 PM
Representative LeBon assumed Fairbanks was a training post.
Mr. Morgan agreed.
Representative Josephson was grateful for the department's
efforts and commitment. He recalled that Commissioner
Cockrell's predecessor had inferred the vacancy problem had
been resolved. He thought people did not desire state
employment as much as they used to, and difficulties in
recruitment and retention could be seen across all state
departments. He asked what it would take for people to want
to work for the state and remain in their positions.
Commissioner Cockrell answered that police departments were
having difficulty recruiting and retaining officers
throughout the nation. He thought that Alaska fortunately
had more support for its law enforcement officers than
other states. However, the department had struggled with
hiring its troopers since the late 1990s due to a myriad of
reasons. Part of the reason for the retention issue was the
amount of work officers were asked to do. He supposed that
the workload of trooper was more substantial than the
workload of any other law enforcement officer in other
states. He had troopers with a caseload of over 100, and
knew of a sergeant at a rural post who was responsible for
supervising troopers in addition to balancing a caseload of
80. He did not think it was possible for one person to
handle the overwhelming caseload, supervise others, make
arrests, and go to court.
Commissioner Cockrell continued that a significant driver
for the retention issue was that troopers did not have the
support that they needed. Troopers were already working an
excess amount of overtime and it was difficult to get them
to work more overtime hours to perform duties like highway
enforcement. He understood the legislature wanted to see
the overtime budget decrease, but when the phone rang, the
officers had to respond. He did not think that there was a
single area in the state with adequate law enforcement, and
the department needed to hire more officers to address the
issue and provide the officers with the support that was
necessary to do their job.
2:11:02 PM
Commissioner Cockrell continued to reply to Representative
Josephson's question. He emphasized that the state was
asking too much of its troopers. He relayed that part of
his job was to ensure that troopers were being supported
and retained. The state could not afford to continue to
lose troopers after a few years of employment due to a lack
of support.
Representative Thompson referred to slides 5 and 6. He
assumed slide 6 did not include VPSOs.
Ms. Howell agreed. She detailed that the slides showed DPS
employees and that VPSOs were employees of the ten grantee
organizations.
Representative Thompson asked for confirmation that VPSOs
were not state employees.
Ms. Howell confirmed that VPSOs were not state employees.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked how a caseload worked for a trooper.
Commissioner Cockrell answered that every case represented
a call for service that a trooper answered, and a caseload
was composed of the calls answered by an individual
trooper. Every criminal offence was a case, which included
offenses like driving under the influence or driving with a
suspended license. A trooper was responsible for a case
until it was closed, which required completing a
substantial amount of paperwork and filling reports. He
noted that the average caseload was 80 to 100 in the
Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley. In the past two days
alone, the department had arrested three people in Mat-Su
for sexual abuse of a minor. There was currently a
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) operation going on
in one of the schools in Mat-Su because a student had gone
there in the middle of the night with a gun and threatened
the janitor. He relayed that similar events happened every
day and the department needed adequate personnel to
respond.
2:14:47 PM
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked if there was a significant pay
differential for people serving in rural areas as compared
to urban areas.
Commissioner Cockrell responded that the department had
offered a $20,000 sign-on bonus as an incentive for
officers in rural areas, which had improved the recruitment
numbers. He was pleased with the new recruits from the
academies and was confident that there would be more
successful recruits to come from future academies. He
shared that AST was still seen as one of the best law
enforcement agencies in the country for employment because
of the focus on employee support. He relayed that the
department was continuing to address the devastating
cutbacks of almost 40 positions in 2015 through 2017. It
was difficult to recruit when the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) was reporting that more troopers would need to
be laid off. He thought it seemed there was talk of
shutting down the government every summer, which impacted
the morale of employees.
Co-Chair Merrick asked for verification that there was a
$20,000 sign-on bonus.
Commissioner Cockrell replied in the affirmative.
Co-Chair Merrick she asked what kind of commitment was
required from a recruit to be eligible for the bonus.
Commissioner Cockrell responded that once a recruit passed
the academy, they would receive a $10,000 bonus, then
receive the additional $10,000 when they passed the Field
Training Officer (FTO) period and probational period.
Co-Chair Merrick asked how long the probational period was.
Commissioner Cockrell responded it was one year.
Representative Thompson commented that it seemed difficult
to manage troopers in remote areas who were often required
to travel to urban areas to attend court. He asked how the
troopers ensured that areas were not without an officer
when there was required travel.
Commissioner Cockrell deferred to his colleague Colonel
Bryan Barlow.
2:18:52 PM
COLONEL BRYAN BARLOW, DIRECTOR, ALASKA STATE TROOPERS,
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY (via teleconference), answered
that the troopers utilized staff from all over the state to
backfill understaffed areas. The troopers could utilize
resources like state aircrafts when necessary to quickly
transport employees.
Representative Rasmussen asked how often perpetrators were
repeat offenders.
Commissioner Cockrell responded that he could not answer.
Representative Rasmussen asked if it was common for a
perpetrator to have multiple victims and repeat offenses.
Commissioner Cockrell replied that Alaska had a high
recidivism rate. There was a recent case where a trooper
was shot on duty by an individual who was on an Own
Recognizance (OR) release from prison. The trooper was shot
five times and his vest saved his life.
Representative Rasmussen was grateful the department had
the proper equipment. She stated that roughly 60 percent of
women in the state had indicated they had been sexually
assaulted or a victim of domestic violence. She asked if 60
percent of Alaskans were also committing the offenses or if
it was a smaller number of perpetrators with numerous
victims.
Commissioner Cockrell responded that the state had a
problem with domestic violence and sexual assault. He did
not want to speculate on the reasons because there could be
a multitude of factors. He thought the victimization
surveys were highly accurate, perhaps even more so than the
crime rate statistics. It was not common for domestic
violence cases to be first-time occurrences.
2:22:58 PM
AT EASE
2:23:56 PM
RECONVENED
DIANE CASTO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COUNCIL ON DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY,
agreed that the victimization surveys were the most
accurate barometer of the situation. She did not have the
exact number of repeat offenders, but it was clear that it
was common for there to be multiple instances of sexual
assault and domestic violence by the same perpetrator. Part
of the goal was to stop the perpetrators and reframe the
issue so there were no longer multiple victims.
Representative Edgmon stated there had been a situation in
Aniak about a week earlier and the U.S. Marshals Service
was called in to respond. He asked for more detail on the
efforts of marshals in Alaska and wondered if it was a
small concentrated application of resources.
Commissioner Cockrell responded that the department had a
partnership with the U.S. Marshals, as it did with the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other federal
agencies. He explained that the department utilized
marshals for high-risk arrests and guessed that there were
fewer than 10 marshals in Alaska. The situation in Aniak
was classified as a high-risk arrest, therefore a marshal
was asked to step in.
Representative Edgmon believed it went without saying that
high-risk events had likely increased over time. He asked
if his understanding was correct.
Commissioner Cockrell answered that he believed it was a
fairly accurate statement. The attempted use of deadly
force on law enforcement officers in the state had risen
since he had become a trooper, and unfortunately officers
also had to use deadly force to respond to situations. He
added that application of CERT had also increased over the
years.
Representative Edgmon asked for more information about drug
search dogs and asked how many dogs and handlers were
active in the state.
Commissioner Cockrell did not have the information on hand
but could supply an answer in writing. He deferred to
Colonel Barlow.
Colonel Barlow did not have the exact number but would
compile the information. There were dual purpose canine
teams and single purpose teams located in various locations
throughout the state.
2:28:54 PM
Ms. Howell turned to slide 7 and explained that she would
address the significant budget changes over the next 10
slides. She indicated that slide 7 showed the budget
changes for the fire and life safety appropriation. There
was a request for the addition of a Deputy Fire Marshal 2
in Bethel for rural fire investigations. The cost of the
position and the related equipment and support would be
one-time funding. There was also a request for more funding
for rural fire training and education.
Ms. Howell addressed the AST appropriation on slide 8. She
read through the significant operating budget changes for
FY 23 as follows:
• Establish New Dispatch Services Allocation
• Add Funding for Dispatch Services Contract with Kenai
Peninsula Borough $1,819.4 UGF
• Add Twelve State Troopers and Two Public Safety
Technician Positions No additional funding and 14
PFT [Permanent full-time]
• Expand In-Car Video Storage Services $631.5 UGF
Representative LeBon asked about the additional trooper and
two public safety technician positions. He asked if the
legislature could expect a budget request in January of
2023 if the department was successful in filling the
positions.
Mr. Morgan responded in the affirmative. He wanted to show
the legislature that the department could fill the
positions and he expected to come back with an amended
budget once the positions were filled.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked for the current status of dispatch
in the Ketchikan station.
Mr. Morgan responded that the Ketchikan Dispatch Center
still had the capacity to dispatch and the positions had
been retained in Ketchikan. The focus of the center had
been adjusted to handle the online police reporting team
and validations team, which encompassed numerous
administrative functions. The department planned to go live
with its new online police reporting function in two weeks.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked for clarification that the dispatch
function was not currently carried out by anyone in
Ketchikan.
Mr. Morgan confirmed that Fairbanks was dispatching for
Ketchikan.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked if there had been any analysis on
the effectiveness of dispatching for Ketchikan from the
Fairbanks center. He thought dispatch might not be as
effective if the dispatcher was not familiar with the
Ketchikan area.
Mr. Morgan replied that he was aware of two complaints
related to dispatch over the past year. However, it had
been determined that the complaints were not the fault of
dispatch but were due to the timing of the deployment of
troopers out of stand-by status. He shared that dispatch
had been based out of Fairbanks for over a decade and it
was not necessary for dispatchers to be familiar with all
areas of the state because the troopers on the ground were
familiar with the areas in which they were based. He felt
confident in the department's ability to dispatch across
the state.
2:36:21 PM
Co-Chair Merrick asked about the estimated cost of the 14
new trooper positions listed on slide 8.
Ms. Howell would follow up with the information.
Co-Chair Merrick asked how long the department had to
retain the recordings from body and car cameras ("cams").
Mr. Morgan answered that it depended on the type of case
and there were statutes and regulations that governed the
retention. The department could be required to keep
recordings in perpetuity if it was related to a homicide
case, or 90 days if it was a less serious offense.
Representative Thompson asked if troopers experienced
communication problems in remote areas.
Mr. Morgan answered affirmatively. He elaborated that part
of the reason why APSCS was being transferred to DPS was
because the department could better embed the program into
the public safety response mission instead of it being in a
different department. The department would also be able to
leverage emerging technologies such as low earth orbit
satellite networks. He shared that the department would
consider all possible solutions in order to expand
connectivity across the state, but specifically in rural
Alaska.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked if the department was aware there
had been a connectivity breakdown between Ketchikan and
Fairbanks that resulted in an emergency request for
Ketchikan to take over dispatch. He wondered what would
happen if there was a similar event in the future and there
was no one in Ketchikan able to perform dispatch duties.
Mr. Morgan answered that there would always be consulate
radios available, and dispatch could still function. The
department planned to continue to maintain the emergency
dispatch functionality. He was not aware of the specific
incident referred to by Vice-Chair Ortiz and would have to
research it.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked if the dispatch would go through the
Ketchikan police if an emergency scenario happened in the
future.
Mr. Morgan answered in the negative. He clarified that the
facility in Ketchikan still functioned, but it was simply
not interconnected with the network. There were still
personnel staff in Ketchikan that would be able to perform
dispatch duties.
Ms. Howell continued with the AST appropriation on slide 9.
The department was asking for funding for the trooper
positions that were added in FY 21. Several of the
positions had been filled and the department was seeking to
fund the positions at 100 percent, requiring a $170,800
increase from the governor's amended budget. She read the
rest of the operating budget changes for FY 23 as follows:
• Funding to Establish Office Space in Togiak and Hooper
Bay $200.0 UGF
• Add Positions to Address DVSA and MMIP $818.8 UGF and
7 PFT
• Add Four Criminal Justice Technicians $404.4 UGF and 4
PFT
2:41:19 PM
Ms. Howell continued with the changes to the AST
appropriation on slide 10. She read from it as follows:
• Add Positions in the Alaska Bureau of Investigation
$395.5 UGF and 4 PFT
• Add Positions in the Technical Crimes Unit Digital
Forensics Lab $234.9 UGF and 2 PFT
• Add Three Alaska Wildlife Trooper Positions No
additional funding and 3 PFT
• Add Funding for Public Safety Technician Time Status
Change $369.4 UGF, 6 PFT and (6) PPT [Permanent
part-time]
Co-Chair Merrick requested for Ms. Howell to include the
wildlife troopers to the information the department would
provide regarding the cost of the 14 new positions.
Ms. Howell would provide the requested information.
Representative Edgmon compared the criminal justice system
to an offensive line in football. He understood the system
to be a package in some ways, but in other ways it was not.
He asked if the governor had a criminal justice cabinet
that comprehensively analyzed all of the elements. He
thought it seemed that much of what generated the increases
in positions needed to be attended to elsewhere. He
supposed that the department could not comment on the topic
but thought that it was a legitimate point. He had chaired
the Department of Corrections (DOC) budget subcommittee and
thought that many positions would be absorbed by DOC, or
possibly by the Department of Health and Social Services
(DHSS). He thought the topic warranted some consideration.
Commissioner Cockrell appreciated the comments but did not
have a response. He was on the Criminal Justice Commission
and although the commission did not have a conversation
about each position that was added to the budget, he was
able to see a broader view of the activity of various
agencies.
Representative Edgmon understood that the commission was a
separate entity and not a subtenant of the department. He
asked if there were conversations taking place that
involved all of the components of the "offensive line."
Commissioner Cockrell thought that it was a challenging
question. He had regular conversations with the
administration on the direction of DPS and sometimes other
members of the cabinet were part of the conversations. He
did not see how the new positions would affect DOC or DHSS.
He thought that he perhaps did not fully understand
Representative Edgmon's question.
Representative Edgmon respected the answer. He thought the
additional positions would generate more people going
through DOC, which could potentially impact the court
system and the Department of Law (DOL) and DHSS.
Commissioner Cockrell stated that the new positions could
potentially cause more people to go to jail, but it held
people accountable for their actions. He thought it would
provide more tools for the department to better perform its
duties.
Vice-Chair Ortiz thought that everyone supported the role
of the troopers in the fight against crime in the state. He
thought it was necessary to employ a broader effort to look
upstream to reduce the crime problem. He asked how the
state could position itself to reduce the crime rate in the
long run so that it was no longer expected that the crime
rate would increase every year. He stated it was a large
question and not solely the responsibility of the DPS
commissioner. He thought the state needed to make
investments in areas like education to reduce the crime
rate over time.
Commissioner Cockrell understood the benefits of a holistic
approach. Part of the problem was that the department went
through the budget process annually and it was difficult to
coordinate the process. Additionally, there were election
cycles that produced high turnover rates, which made it
difficult to have meetings to strategize ways to tackle the
big issues. Each department was focused on its own mission,
and he had not sat down with the other departments apart
from DOC.
2:50:50 PM
Ms. Howell continued with the AST appropriation on slide
11. She read from the slide as follows:
• Add Two State Trooper Tactical Flight Officers and One
Aircraft Pilot $614.2 UGF and 3 PFT
• Add Funding for Aircraft Maintenance and Repairs
$1,800.0 UGF
• Add Funding for Large and Medium Vessel Fuel and Parts -
$500.0 UGF
Ms. Howell turned to the VPSO appropriation on slide 12.
She read the information as follows:
• Add Tribal Liaison Position $125.5 UGF and 1 PFT
• Add Funding for Ten Village Public Safety Officers
$2,328.0 UGF
• Funding 5% Salary Increase for VPSOs $617.6 UGF
Ms. Howell addressed slide 13 related to the Council on
Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (CDVSA) appropriation.
She read through the slide as follows:
• One-Time Funding for Victim Services Grants $3,500.0
Fed/CSLFRF [Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal
Recovery Funds]
• Add Two Program Coordinator Positions to Manage Victim
Services and Perpetrator Intervention Programs $93.2
Fed, $193.2 UGF and 2 PFT
• One-Time Funding for Alaska Family Justice Center Model
Study $500.0 UGF
2:53:12 PM
Representative LeBon referenced the Alaska Family Justice
Center (AFJC) model on slide 13 and thought that $500,000
seemed expensive for a study. He asked if Ms. Howell could
offer reassurance to make him feel comfortable with the
cost.
Ms. Howell responded that the model was part of the
governor's People First initiative. She explained that the
model could be effective where the resources were
available; however, in smaller communities it was common
for a person to receive all services in one facility,
whether that be legal advocacy, law enforcement, or medical
assistance. The model would allow for a more victim
centered approach to be employed. It was not yet apparent
if the model would work in smaller communities, but it
would work in communities where the resources were
available. She was not certain if the model would cost the
full $500,000 until the contract was procured, but it was
the estimate that was currently in place.
Representative LeBon asked if the $500,000 was a
placeholder figure.
Ms. Howell answered that the state procurement rules
required that the department release an estimate as a
competitive solicitation. She confirmed that the total cost
could come in lower than $500,000.
Co-Chair Merrick asked if the state would get a refund if
the amount came in below $500,000.
Ms. Howell would ask OMB.
Co-Chair Merrick thought it would be interesting if the
money could be used elsewhere in the department if a refund
was not possible.
Ms. Howell advanced to slide 14 showing the statewide
support appropriation. She read from the slide as follows:
• Add Tribal Liaison Position $125.5 UGF, 1 PFT
• Funding for Two Analyst/Programmers, a Geographic
Information Systems Analyst, and Two Data
Communication Specialists $700.3 UGF and 5 PFT
• Increase Designated Program Receipt Authority for
Criminal Background Checks $622.4 DGF [Designated
general funds]
• Funding Six Criminal Justice Positions to Support
Validation Audits $606.3 Fed, $67.4 UGF, and 6 PFT
Ms. Howell continued to review the statewide support
appropriation on slide 15 as follows:
• Criminal Records Improvement Projects $4,841.3 Fed
• Increase Federal Receipt Authority for Existing Multi-
Year Grants for Forensics, DNA, and Sexual Assault Kit
Tracking $627.0 Fed
• Funding Six Positions to Reduce Turnaround Time on DNA
Testing -$1,229.3 UGF and 6 PFT
• Transfer of Alaska Public Safety Communication Services
from DMVA -$7,103.1 UGF, $2,100.0 Fed, $150.0 DGF,
$350.0 Other, and 24 PFT
2:57:25 PM
Ms. Howell concluded the presentation with the Violent
Crimes Compensation Board appropriation on slide 16,
reading as follows:
• Reduce Authority Due to Decreased Availability of
Restorative Justice Funding for the Crime Victim
Compensation Fund ($157.7) Other/Crime VCF [Victim
Compensation Fund]
Representative Edgmon highlighted the need for as much law
enforcement as possible in the Lake and Peninsula Borough
and surrounding communities. He appreciated the
commissioner coming on board and he was convinced that
things would get better under the current leadership.
Co-Chair Merrick agreed.
Representative Josephson asked for the reason for the
funding decrease shown on slide 16.
Ms. Howell answered the restorative justice account was a
separate fund in the dividend fund. It was funded by
dividends that would have gone to individuals who were
otherwise ineligible due to criminal offenses. The number
of ineligible individuals as well as the dividend amount
had decreased, which subsequently resulted in a decrease in
the amount of funding available to appropriate into the
restorative justice account.
2:59:43 PM
Representative Josephson stated that in 2021, DOL had
wanted to shift the cost of municipal prosecution of
felonies to the municipalities. He had chaired the DOL
subcommittee had resisted the change and it had not
occurred. One could argue that a borough should not be
required to pay for its own public safety. He asked how
many trooper positions would be made available for other
duties if boroughs were required to have their own police
forces.
Commissioner Cockrell answered that DPS had no authority
over dictating what boroughs should and should not pay for.
He thought the matter was a policy decision that should be
made by the legislature and the administration. He stated
that DPS's responsibility was to provide law enforcement.
Representative Josephson asked if Commissioner Cockrell was
comfortable estimating the number of troopers covering the
North Star Borough or the Mat-Su Borough, for example.
Commissioner Cockrell was not comfortable responding
because he did not have enough information.
Co-Chair Merrick asked for the parameters for not receiving
a Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD).
Ms. Howell answered that certain categories of individuals
were statutorily ineligible for a PFD due to incarceration
and other reasons. She would provide more information after
the meeting.
Co-Chair Merrick had heard that incarcerated individuals
would not receive dividends. She wondered if the dividend
would become available immediately upon an incarcerated
individual's release.
3:02:38 PM
Representative Thompson stated that ankle monitors were set
up to keep people out of prison. He asked about the
relationship between the Department of Justice, DOC, and
AST regarding ankle monitors and asked which entity was
responsible for tracking the monitors.
Commissioner Cockrell answered that DOC was responsible for
ankle monitors. He noted that DPS would typically receive a
notification if an individual violated the parameters of an
ankle monitor and the individual would be arrested.
Representative Wool asked what kind of efforts were put
into causation or prevention of crime in order to reduce
the need for cops, courts, and corrections. He noted that
all three were budget items that had been increasing in
magnitude. He understood Alaska led the nation in domestic
violence, sexual assault, and gun violence and was number
two in suicide rates. He asked what prevention efforts had
been employed. He understood that suicide was not easily
preventable through actions like introducing more VPSOs
into villages and thought it might be a question better
suited for a behavioral health expert. He asked if there
had been efforts or discussions about prevention.
Mr. Morgan responded that there was not a macro view
available currently. He explained that DPS now looked at a
number of different causation factors and partnered with
public health officials to share data on a core level,
which had not happened in the past. He understood that DPS
was not the entity responsible for examining causation,
however DPS was the entity that held important data and
information. The system had been more compartmentalized in
the past, but the departments now freely shared information
with other entities that investigated the causational
factors of suicide and overdose deaths.
3:07:21 PM
Representative Wool appreciated the response and believed a
holistic solution was needed in order to bring about
change.
Commissioner Cockrell remarked that as a state, there
needed to be improvement in the way mental health issues
were handled. He noted that troopers were dealing with
mental health crisis regularly and the crisis rates were
only increasing over the years. There was a systemic mental
health crisis in the state and likely in the nation and he
did not think it had been properly addressed. He remarked
that it would be helpful to have a place to take people
experiencing mental health crises other than DOC.
Representative LeBon commented that some members lived in
areas that enjoyed the service of local police departments,
including himself. He understood that if a police
department asked the city council and the mayor to add one
position, there would be a debate, a budget adjustment, and
upon approval, taxpayers would pay for the additional
position. He thought there was a disconnect in the state,
but he did not fault anyone for it. If DPS needed 100
additional troopers, the legislature needed to fund the
positions. He would feel more comfortable funding the
additional positions if he knew what the cost would be. He
did not think it was proper to approve and fill positions
and worry about the money later. He encouraged members to
build the money into the budget in the current cycle.
Commissioner Cockrell agreed that the strategy was risky.
He stated the process would not happen overnight, but that
it was a step forward. He hoped to be around long enough to
see the improvements.
Co-Chair Merrick thanked the presenters.
HB 281 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
HB 282 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
Co-Chair Merrick reviewed the schedule for the following
day.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DPS Dept Overview HFC Presentation 02.17.22.pdf |
HFIN 2/17/2022 1:30:00 PM |
|
| DPS Responses to House Finance Committee 02.17.2022.pdf |
HFIN 2/17/2022 1:30:00 PM |