Legislature(2003 - 2004)
02/10/2004 09:07 AM House STA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
February 10, 2004
9:07 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Bruce Weyhrauch, Chair
Representative Jim Holm, Vice Chair
Representative Bob Lynn
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Max Gruenberg
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative John Coghill
Representative Ethan Berkowitz
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
^OVERVIEW: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
[For the regular meeting minutes, see the 8:02 a.m. minutes for
this date.]
TAPES
04-15, SIDE(S) A
CHAIR BRUCE WEYHRAUCH called the meeting of the House State
Affairs Standing Committee back to order at 9:07 a.m. Present
were Representatives Holm, Lynn, Seaton, Gruenberg, and
Weyhrauch.
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION
CHAIR WEYHRAUCH introduced Commissioner William Tandeske of the
Alaska Department of Public Safety. Chair Weyhrauch noted that
the House State Affairs Standing Committee has jurisdiction over
the Department of Public Safety; each year the committee
requests that the commissioner update the members and the
general public of the department's activities.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE introduced the following employees of the
Department of Public Safety: Ted Bachmann, Deputy Commissioner,
Office of the Commissioner; Colonel Julia Grimes, Director,
Division of Alaska State Troopers; David Schade, Director,
Division of Statewide Services; Dan Spencer, Director, Division
of Administrative Services; Gary Powell, Director State Fire
Marshall, Division of Fire Prevention; and LeeAnn Lucas, Special
Assistant, Office of the Commissioner.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE spoke about what the Department of Public
Safety has been doing since the last overview before the House
State Affairs Standing Committee. He referred to slides that
were made available to the committee members [included in the
committee packet]. The slides help to define what the
Department of Public Safety is trying to accomplish.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE stated that the department does not limit
itself to statutory rules, but helps other law enforcement
agencies in whatever way it can. He went on to say that
cooperation with local agencies is paramount. The department
stands ready to take care of issues for other law enforcement
agencies when individual agencies may not have the resources to
handle certain activities themselves.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE assured the committee the department is
interested in being successful in the long term with the present
reorganization plan. Fiscal functions have been centralized. A
Division of Statewide Services exists. These are long-term
functions of the Department of Public Safety and are being given
special attention by the department.
REPRESENTATIVE HOLM, in response to further discussion, stated
he has a problem with the merger of the law enforcement
divisions of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game and the
Department of Public Safety.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE responded that all of these people are
fully trained, commissioned Alaska State Troopers - not just
game wardens. Under the new guidelines, a Trooper stationed at
any post can work in both capacities - as a law enforcement
officer and wildlife protection officer. This change has been
made to promote efficiency.
CHAIR WEYHRAUCH asked whether an Alaska Department of Fish &
Game "protection officer" from Hoonah could be pulled from
his/her community if there was a need for him/her to do highway
patrol or a murder investigation in another area of the state
due to a high level of crime.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE replied that the aim of the Department of
Public Safety in that regard is to get other tangible work
accomplished in the periods of time when the activity is down in
some areas of the state.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE spoke to the similarities in the two
divisions. He indicated that the goal is to make optimum use of
all individuals in the Department of Public Safety. The
department has to focus on specific things it is not funded to
do. In response to questions from the committee, Commissioner
Tandeske described how the department deals with areas of
weakness and how it will best address its mission and make
optimum use of its resources. He told the committee that his
staff was available to answer questions.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG mentioned the problem of people giving
false urinalysis samples. He said he believes that there are no
statutes prohibiting such a thing, and he wants to know if it is
easier to enforce general statutes rather than specific
statutes.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE stated he would like to think about that
issue.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG thanked the Fire Marshall for his help
on the carbon monoxide legislation.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE elaborated more thoroughly on other
aspects of the merger, including combining and reducing staff to
eliminate costs and increase efficiency. More resources at the
ground level were needed, and therefore, some upper level
positions were reclassified to troopers. Wildlife law
enforcement remains a core function for the division, as well as
highway safety and general law enforcement. The division has
increased drug and alcohol seizures up 27 percent from 2002 to
2003. A drunk driving enforcement team has been developed.
Work has begun on rural public safety and enhancements have been
made to the Village Public Safety Officer program. He also
stated that troopers have been moved throughout the state in
order to have the resources readily available when and where
they are needed in the major hubs such as Fairbanks, Palmer, and
the Kenai area. Anchorage was excluded as it has it's own major
police department. The Division of Statewide Services will be
doing all it can to support all law enforcement and agencies, as
well as the public.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE, in response to a question from
Representative Gruenberg, clarified that the records and
identification departments, for example, listed in the Power
Point presentation are not manned by troopers, which he
indicated means less expense. He also spoke about the
reorganization of the Division of Fire Prevention.
MR. POWELL, in response to a question regarding the shorter life
expectancy of a firemen due to smoke inhalation and other
hazards of the job, responded that the issue was more
complicated than what could be answered in a few words, but
basically there are many reasons why people might think that the
statement has credence. No studies have been conducted in
Alaska to confirm or deny such a statement. In response to a
question from Representative Holm regarding an ice hotel, he
explained his office is also in charge of the safety codes for
building construction in the State of Alaska. An ice hotel
needs to be properly constructed even though it is not a fire
hazard. He stated that the State of Alaska operates under the
International Building Code (IBC).
MR. POWELL, in response Representative Gruenberg, explained that
the reason fire trucks often respond to an emergency call that
is not fire-related is because in many cases emergency medical
technicians (EMTs) and fire personnel are cross trained, and
that can be the most efficient way to answer the call. He added
that such [dual response] doesn't happen in all parts of the
state.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE spoke to the fiscal year 2005 (FY 05)
budget request for 20 new trooper positions. These new
positions directly address core missions to long-term
objectives. Other challenges for the department are homeland
security, SERT [Special Emergency Response Teams], and the
problem of local funding being down.
CHAIR WEYHRAUCH spoke to the relationship between the state and
the villages that have patrol officers. He related that he has
received information via phone calls or office visits from
people who are concerned that these tribal police officers think
they have police authority, but that they are not recognized by
the state as having any such authority.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON expressed interest in the effect of the
passage of the concealed handgun permit legislation.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE responded to Representative Gruenberg's
comment on problems finding troopers who are willing to live in
rural areas of Alaska. He conceded it is a problem. Some areas
have subsidized housing in the rural areas.
CHAIR WEYHRAUCH expressed interest in finding out what the
internal process and the public's involvement might be when
there is a trooper involved in a shooting - either a regular
shooting or a fatality.
COMMISSIONER TANDESKE, in response to a question from Chair
Weyhrauch, reviewed the agencies within the department. He
indicated he would get back to Representative Holm on a question
regarding whether the folks within the Division of Statewide
Services are bonded.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON requested the commissioner look into fire
requirements being imposed that might be putting people out of
business down in the Homer area, regarding sprinkler system
regulations.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
There were no announcements.
COMMITTEE ACTION
The committee took no action.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
State Affairs Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:02
a.m.
NOTE: The meeting was recorded and handwritten log notes were
taken. A copy of the tape(s) and log notes may be obtained by
contacting the House Records Office at State Capitol, Room 3,
Juneau, Alaska 99801 (mailing address), (907) 465-2214, and
after adjournment of the second session of the Twenty-Third
Alaska State Legislature this information may be obtained by
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.
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