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.