03/06/2007 01:30 PM House TRANSPORTATION

HB   8-J. KEVIN  LAMM TRAINING FACILITY                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:32:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR JOHANSEN announced  that the first 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."                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:32:22 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  JOHANSEN   requested  a  description  of   the  [proposed]                                                               
facility in Fairbanks.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
DANIEL  HOFFMAN,  Chief,  Fairbanks Police  Department,  City  of                                                               
Fairbanks,  stated   that  [the  proposed  facility]   is  fairly                                                               
rudimentary and would replace the  current shooting range that is                                                               
slated  for  destruction due  to  airport  expansion.   It  would                                                               
consist of a 100-yard shooting  range surrounded by a raised dirt                                                               
berm.   A  rain  shack  would be  built  to  provide cover  while                                                               
weapons and gear are cleaned.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHIEF  HOFFMAN,  in  response to  further  questions  from  Chair                                                               
Johansen,  explained that  the  facility would  be  owned by  the                                                               
state and would  be located on airport land that  is owned by the                                                               
state.   He said that  no personnel  would be necessary  to staff                                                               
the facility.  Each of the  30 federal, state, and local agencies                                                               
that would  be using  the facility would  schedule their  time at                                                               
the facility through the airport  and that each individual agency                                                               
would be  responsible for providing monitoring  or training staff                                                               
when activities are conducted.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:35:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR JOHANSEN inquired  as to the Department  of Public Safety's                                                               
(DPS) plans for its academy in Sitka.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
RODNEY   DIAL,  Lieutenant,   Deputy  Commander,   A  Attachment,                                                               
Division of  Alaska State Troopers,  Alaska Department  of Public                                                               
Safety,  related that  the commissioner  is looking  to establish                                                               
regional training  centers to compliment, not  replace, the Sitka                                                               
training  academy.   These regional  training centers  will allow                                                               
significantly  reduced travel  times,  and  thereby increase  the                                                               
productivity of troopers.  For  example, if the regional training                                                               
centers  save  two  days  of  travel for  half  of  the  troopers                                                               
annually, it  has the effect  of adding another  trooper position                                                               
to serve  Alaska.   He also  noted that  a significant  amount of                                                               
travel  time is  on overtime  pay.   The  commissioner's goal  in                                                               
having regional  training centers  is to  make the  division more                                                               
efficient.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:36:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT DIAL,  in response to Representative  Johnson, pointed                                                               
out  that  there  are  no long-term  housing  proposals  for  the                                                               
regional training  centers.  They would  compliment, not replace,                                                               
the  training conducted  at the  academy  in Sitka  and make  the                                                               
department  more efficient.   He  surmised  that if  there was  a                                                               
regional training center  in Fairbanks, it would  be utilized for                                                               
personnel in Western  Alaska and Interior posts.   Troopers based                                                               
in Southeast would still be sent to Sitka, he said.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:37:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHIEF  HOFFMAN  informed the  committee  that  this proposal  was                                                               
initiated  and   brought  forth  by  the   local  peace  officers                                                               
association in  Fairbanks, which represents the  30 agencies that                                                               
utilize the  existing shooting  range.   Regarding the  impact of                                                               
this  facility  to  the  statewide   operation  of  Alaska  State                                                               
Troopers,  he  pointed out  that  participation  and use  of  the                                                               
existing range by troopers is an  extremely small part of what is                                                               
being discussed.  He stated  that members of the Fairbanks Police                                                               
Department  do  not  travel  to  Sitka  when  qualifications  are                                                               
required.  Chief Hoffman relayed:                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     This  is  a  local range  facility  that's  desperately                                                                    
     needed to  be maintained  here in Fairbanks  to service                                                                    
     our local  needs.  If  it ends up helping  the troopers                                                                    
     additionally,  that's great  and I'm  all for  that but                                                                    
     I'm hoping  that people  don't lose  sight of  the fact                                                                    
     that we're  losing the  only range  that we  have here,                                                                    
     that services all of our  law enforcement agencies.  We                                                                    
     need to have another facility to replace it.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:39:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DOOGAN related his  understanding that the purpose                                                               
of HB  8 is simply to  name a facility  if and when one  is built                                                               
and that  the question of whether  or not to build  a facility is                                                               
contained in a separate bill.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT DIAL stated that this is correct.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:40:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOHNSON moved  to report  HB 8  out of  committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.  There being no objection, it was so ordered.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 1:40 p.m. to 1:43 p.m.