Alaska Department of Public Safety


The Alaska Department of Public Safety is a law enforcement agency with its usual focus being the protection of life, property and wildlife resources in the state of Alaska in the United States.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety is under the direction of Commissioner Amanda Price.
Alaska DPS personnel enforce laws related to criminal statutes, traffic, wildlife, and fire. The Alaska DPS also performs search and rescue, court services and maintains criminal justice records.

Divisions

DPS has five divisions:
DPS also administers:
Unlike DPS agencies in many other states, due to the vast area of Alaska and limited local enforcement agencies, Alaska's DPS is the primary law enforcement and public safety organization for most of the state. The men and women of DPS provide service in conditions not usually found in many other parts of the country.

Fallen Officers

There have been 16 Alaska State Troopers and 2 K9s killed since its beginning in 1948.
RankNameDate of DeathCause of DeathAgeLocation
OfficerGary George Wohlfeil03-05-1964Killed along with Officer Leroy Garvin Bohuslov in an aircraft crash northwest of Fairwell, Alaska while conducting a low-level caribou survey22northwest of Fairwell, Alaska
OfficerLeroy Garvin Bohuslov03-05-1964Killed along with Officer Gary George Wohlfeil in an aircraft crash northwest of Fairwell, Alaska while conducting a low-level caribou survey38northwest of Fairwell, Alaska
TrooperDennis Finbar Cronin02-18-1974Shot and killed in his squad car while meeting with an informant; the shooter then committed suicide and his motives are unknown31Anchorage, Alaska
TrooperFrank Stuart Rodman12-11-1974Killed along with Trooper Larry Robert Carr; they were transporting a drowning victim back in an airplane when the plane crashed in the ocean, 10 minutes away from landing, for unknown reasons; only 1 out of the 3 bodies were found25off the coast of Kodiak Island, Alaska
TrooperLarry Robert Carr12-11-1974Killed along with Trooper Frank Stuart Rodman; they were transporting a drowning victim back in an airplane when the plane crashed in the ocean, 10 minutes away from landing, for unknown reasons; only 1 out of the 3 bodies were found23off the coast of Kodiak Island, Alaska
TrooperRoland Edgar Chevalier Skip, Jr.04-03-1982Shot and killed after intervening in a domestic dispute between a drunk father and mentally-ill son at Cleary Summit Ski Area; shot with a.30-.0633Cleary Summit Ski Area in Fairbanks, Alaska
SergeantJohn David Stimson01-14-1983Killed overnight by hypothermia after a helicopter crash while searching for a missing pilot; the pilot broke his back and Stimson made him as comfortable as possible; the pilot survived41near Cordova, Alaska
TrooperTroy Lynn Duncan05-19-1984Shot and killed while he and other SWAT members searched for a serial killer in the woods by helicopter; the shooter opened fire and hit Trooper Duncan, he was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran34near Manley Hot Springs, Alaska
SergeantRobert Lee Bittick10-11-1994Killed in an aircraft crash during bad weather55near Haines, Alaska
TrooperBruce Alan Heck01-10-1997Killed in a fight on a traffic stop on Glenn Highway42in between Mendeltna and Tolsona, Alaska
SergeantDavid C. Churchill11-16-1998Killed when he suffered a heart attack while hiking up a mountain searching for a hunting party51N/A
TrooperJames A. Moen06-25-2001Killed in an aircraft crash; causes of the crash are unknown49in Lake Iliamna, Alaska
TrooperHans-Peter Roelle11-24-2001Shot and killed after chasing a suspect to his home40Wasilla, Alaska
TrooperTage Brandel Toll03-30-2013Killed in a helicopter crash while on a search and rescue mission40Near Talkeetna, Alaska
SergeantPatrick Scott Johnson05-01-2014Shot and killed along with Trooper Gabriel Lenox Rich while responding to reports of a person with a firearm45Tanana, Alaska
TrooperGabriel Lenox Rich05-01-2014Shot and killed along with Sergeant Patrick Scott Johnson while responding to reports of a person with a firearm26Tanana, Alaska
K9Helo11-25-2016Shot and killed while chasing a suspect through the woods after a vehicle chaseN/APalmer, Alaska
K9Rico03-26-2017Shot and killed while chasing a suspect after a vehicle chase3Wasilla, Alaska