Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
02/24/2022 08:00 AM House TRIBAL AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Village Public Safety Officer Program | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON TRIBAL AFFAIRS
February 24, 2022
8:02 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Tiffany Zulkosky, Chair
Representative Dan Ortiz
Representative Geran Tarr
Representative Mike Cronk
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Zack Fields
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: VILLAGE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER PROGRAM
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
JIM COCKRELL, Commissioner
Department of Public Safety
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced himself during the presentation
on the Village Public Safety Officer Program.
JOEL HARD, Director
Village Public Safety Officer Program
Department of Public Safety
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a presentation on the Village Public
Safety Officer Program.
MICHAEL NEMETH, Coordinator
Village Public Safety Program
Department of Family & Community Development
Aleutian Pribilof Island Association
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comment during the presentation on
the Village Public Safety Officer Program.
RICHARD PETERSON, President
Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comment during the presentation on
the Village Public Safety Officer Program.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:02:38 AM
CHAIR TIFFANY ZULKOSKY called the House Special Committee on
Tribal Affairs meeting to order at 8:02 a.m. Representatives
Cronk, Ortiz, Tarr, and Zulkosky were present at the call to
order.
^Presentation: Village Public Safety Officer Program
Presentation: Village Public Safety Officer Program
8:03:27 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY announced that the only order of business would
be a presentation on the Village Public Safety Officer Program
(VPSO) [report and findings can be found in the committee
packet].
8:04:45 AM
COMMISSIONER JAMES COCKRELL, Commissioner, Department of Public
Safety (DPS), mentioned moving the Village Public Safety Officer
(VPSO) program out of Alaska State Trooper office and into the
of the direct jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Public Safety.
He stated his goal to provide law enforcement equally throughout
that state by focusing on the needs of rural Alaska.
8:08:08 AM
JOEL HARD, Director of the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO)
Program, commented on the working group document and agreed that
updates are needed to the structural statute because it was
written 40 years ago. He mentioned that certain regulations
need to be changed or omitted and gave an example that "no-
presence or transient presence has not reduced crime."
Understanding that state resources alone cannot solve the
shortcomings of the VPSO program, he said it will be necessary
to coordinate with the federal government. He mentioned that
through ANSCA, the federal government retains responsibility for
welfare and safety of tribal communities in Alaska. He
mentioned in response to a question about the perception of
respect among VPSOs and troopers, that troopers rely on VPSOs
every day and since the VPSO program has moved into the
commissioner's office, the perception has been elevated. He
also referred to a study that showed that the presence of a VPSO
in a rural village significantly increases sexual assault
prosecution rates.
8:23:47 AM
CHAIR TIFFANY ZULKOSKY recognized the many difficulties of
working as a Village Public Safety Officer as a first responder
in sensitive situations that may be affecting familiar community
members and loved ones.
8:25:40 AM
MR. HARD added that distress regarding the Village Public Safety
Officer program comes from unclear expectations and is
increasingly more complex compared with 40 years ago. He
pointed out the need to utilize regional leaders in the program
and address the specific needs and levels of attention required
of each rural Alaskan village. He added that a regional public
safety model would, through clarified expectations, make it
easier to train and certify VPSOs to necessary standards.
8:29:39 AM
CHAIR TIFFANY ZULKOSKI added that trooper-only-response fails
the community and is inadequate.
8:31:42 AM
MR. HARD, in response to a question posed by Representative
Tarr, referenced SB 81 and HB 131. He commented about the
necessity for the program to support the infrastructure which in
turn impacts issues with retention. He further emphasized the
need to coordinate with the federal government and its
obligations and capacities to create a coordinated and
collaborative approach to village public safety in Alaska.
8:33:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GERAN TARR commented on behalf of a student she
met at the Youth Leadership Institute, who asked about what
public officials would do about housing for teachers and public
safety officers. She noted that "even the youth are noticing"
those needs in their communities.
8:36:41 AM
MICHAEL NEMETH mentioned that he has been a VPSO Coordinator for
20 years. He acknowledged the successful partnerships among the
VPSO Working Group and applauded the transition under the
current commissioner. He claimed that the VPSO is distressed
due to different management styles and support over the years.
He detailed attempts to combat hiring and retention issues by
partnering with different organizations like NW Strategies who
helped to create a multimedia campaign for the VPSO Program.
Additionally, Alaska Executive Search, Inc. found 200 more
applicants. He also reported on a method to obtain recruits
through a Department of Defense SkillBridge Program for soldiers
leaving service that still want to serve in the community. He
commented that the program and mission have morphed
significantly over the years and current statutes and
regulations no longer reflect the scope of the program it is
today. He noted that this is the first year VPSO put in a CIP
request for funds for admin costs and infrastructure. He
detailed that a Village Public Safety Officer is a multi-faceted
public safety professional. Being a VPSO involves four
disciplines, law enforcement, fire suppression and prevention,
emergency medical services, and search and rescue. In response
to a committee question, he stated that the starting salary for
a VPSO is approximately $60,000, and starting salary for a state
trooper is about $74,000. Grants through nonprofit
organizations that oversee VPSO units make it possible to get
some funding for things like vehicles and give coordinators the
ability to occasionally "flex" funding to suit specific needs.
8:57:55 AM
RICHARD PETERSON, President of the Central Council of the
Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, spoke about the vast
improvements that have occurred within the Village Public Safety
Officer program since Commissioner Cockrell became involved.
Mr. Peterson recognized his efforts to bring equity for public
safety for rural Alaskans. He discussed that grants can be used
to acquire vehicles for VPSOs, but more funding is necessary in
the state's budget to unburden villages from providing housing
and office space for their VPSO. He discussed the difficulties
faced in recruitment and retention because of the demanding
hours and the nature of the work requiring the VPSO to be on
call 24/7.
9:10:42 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Tribal Affairs meeting was adjourned at
9:11 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| ADOPTED VPSO Working Group Report Recommendations & Findings.pdf |
HTRB 2/24/2022 8:00:00 AM |