Legislature(2007 - 2008)CAPITOL 17
02/15/2007 01:30 PM House TRANSPORTATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB102 | |
| HJR8 | |
| HB8 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 102 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 126 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HJR 8 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 8 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 8 - J. KEVIN LAMM TRAINING FACILITY 2:25:48 PM VICE CHAIR NEUMAN announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 8, "An Act naming the law enforcement training facility in Fairbanks the J. Kevin Lamm Law Enforcement Training Facility." 2:26:36 PM JANE PIERSON, Staff to Representative Jay Ramras, Alaska State Legislature, presented the sponsor statement. She explained that Interior Alaska is in desperate need of a new law enforcement training facility. Due to expansion of airport facilities and runway extensions at the Fairbanks International Airport on which the Don Bennett Firing Range is located, a conflict is being created that will soon slate this range for destruction. She pointed out that over 30 agencies share the antiquated range. Today, she said, when an officer goes for weapons requalification, he or she must tamp stakes into the ground for the target, staple the silhouette to the stake, pace back 15 yards, draw a line in the dirt or snow, and then proceed firing and that is provided there is not a plane coming in for a landing. If a plane comes in, then all firing must stop until the plane lands, and this is not very conducive to time-shoots. She stressed that it is imperative to take care of the basic training needs of the men and women hired to protect Alaskans. MS. PIERSON conveyed that HB 8 will name the new proposed law enforcement training facility after fallen Fairbanks Police Department Patrol Officer John "Kevin" Lamm. Kevin was born to be a police officer, she said. He graduated from the Alaska Department of Public Safety Academy in Sitka and went to work for the North Pole Police Department. He next did a short stint with the University Police Department and then joined the Fairbanks Police Department in March 1995. She pointed out that Kevin was known at the Fairbanks Police Department for being an excellent officer both in the field and for the way he dealt with people. She disclosed that Kevin and his wife Holly were married only [twelve] days before his death. Kevin was an officer that other officers wanted to emulate. For these reasons, she said, she is requesting that the committee support naming the proposed new law enforcement training facility in Fairbanks the J. Kevin Lamm Law Enforcement Training Facility. 2:29:23 PM VICE CHAIR NEUMAN recognized the importance of citizen support for legislative actions and asked if Ms. Pierson had a list of persons or organizations who had written their support. MS. PIERSON said she did not have a list per se, but that in the committee's packets were letters from the Farthest North Chapter of the Alaska Peace Officers Association, Fairbanks City Mayor Steve Thompson, Fairbanks Police Department Chief Daniel Hoffman, and the Interior Delegation. On teleconference to speak, she noted, is Matthew Soden from Fairbanks. 2:30:30 PM VICE CHAIR NEUMAN inquired whether funds have yet been appropriated for the new facility. MS. PIERSON responded that currently funds have not been appropriated, but work is being done to obtain funding. She further responded that if a new facility is built, this is the name being proposed. 2:30:52 PM REPRESENTATIVE DOOGAN noted that the existing facility is named after a former legislator, Don Bennett. He asked why the decision was made to change the name, but he emphasized that his question was not being asked to disparage Kevin Lamm in any manner. MS. PIERSON replied it is to honor someone who has recently been killed in the line of duty. She further pointed out that this would be a new facility on lands granted for this purpose by the Fairbanks International Airport. 2:31:43 PM REPRESENTATIVE DOOGAN clarified that he is asking because his understanding is that if the new facility is built, the old facility will be abandoned. MS. PIERSON confirmed his statement. 2:32:02 PM VICE CHAIR NEUMAN pointed out that state troopers and public safety officers in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley train behind the wastewater treatment plant. He commended Representative Ramras because, he said, there is a need for this facility. 2:32:31 PM REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON noticed that the letters in the packet were in support of building the range and did not address naming it. MS. PIERSON acknowledged that this is true. VICE CHAIR NEUMAN asked if Ms. Pierson had received any opposition to changing the name. MS. PIERSON stated that Representative Ramras's office has not received any opposition. 2:33:10 PM REPRESENTATIVE DOOGAN wanted the record to reflect his remembrance of when the firing range in Fairbanks was a high bank across the Chena River. He said he is hoping the solution will not include going back to the river banks. MS. PIERSON laughed and said the river bank is where she sites in her rifle each year before hunting season. 2:33:43 PM MATTHEW SODEN, drawing upon his experience as a police officer with the City of Fairbanks and a firearms instructor, stated that the current range is adequate. However, he said, during demolition begun several years ago for airport expansion, power to the range was disconnected and the building has no heat or lights. During winter months, he said, vehicles must be brought to the range in order to have a place to warm up and clean up. There is a borough range for public use, he continued, but the nature of police work requires the ability to have 24 hour access and to have control of all activity on the range. With airport expansion plans again moving forward, he urged the committee to support building a new range so law enforcement officers would have access to good quality training as well as the ability to train with their weapons. MR. SODEN then addressed the committee in terms of naming a new facility after Kevin Lamm. He noted that the letters of support for building a new facility did not address naming it because, at that time, it was not known there were plans for naming it after Kevin. While he and others recognize the contributions made by Mr. Bennett, there are officers working in the department who served with Kevin and who recognize not only the good he did as a police officer, but the sacrifice he made when he was killed. It was his life that Kevin saved, Mr. Soden disclosed, and this would be a fitting tribute to Kevin and his family. 2:37:56 PM JAMES JANKE testified from the standpoint of currently being a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at the Fairbanks International Airport, a retired police officer, and the current president of the Farthest North Chapter of the Alaska Police Officers Association. He stressed the need for Fairbanks law enforcement officials to have a place to train and become proficient. He said he was taken aback when he first saw the training "range" in Fairbanks it is basically three berms of piled up dirt and a building with no running water, electricity, or anything else. He explained that law enforcement officers must qualify three to four times a year, and these qualifications involve a timed shoot. The airport runway is so close to the range that conducting these shoots requires the posting of a person for yelling "cease fire" when airplanes approach for landing. He said this much-needed new facility would serve all Interior law enforcement agencies whether state, federal, or local. MR. JANKE further stated that the sacrifices given to the community by law enforcement officials go without saying, but the ultimate sacrifice is the sacrifice that Kevin Lamm gave to the Fairbanks community. Naming a new facility after Kevin would be a wonderful way to honor him and to keep this thought in mind when officers go out and practice this very serious business. 2:41:38 PM VICE CHAIR NEUMAN closed public testimony and announced that HB 8 would be held for further consideration.
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