State public safety official details expansion, limits of VPSO program in rural Alaska

Commissioner James Cockrell of the Alaska Department of Public Safety told the Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee on Feb. 4 that the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program has grown substantially in recent years but still faces funding, housing and staffing challenges.

"They're the Swiss army knife of law enforcement," Commissioner Cockrell said of VPSOs, describing training in emergency medical care, search and rescue, firefighting and policing that he said makes VPSOs often the first — and at times only — responder in rural communities.

Cockrell told the committee the department has focused resources on rural investigators and VPSOs to improve both outcomes and perceptions of policing in remote areas. He said the department currently has 85 filled VPSO positions, funding in the current budget for five additional positions (which would bring the total to 90), and a short-term goal of 100. He said a longer-term target, previously set by a former governor, is 121.

The commissioner described operational changes intended to improve oversight and retention. He said the department created a separate VPSO division and has added six regional public safety officers (RPSOs), each assigned to a different region, who mentor VPSOs, sign off on reports and provide higher-level investigative support. "All our RPSOs came within the VPSO," Cockrell said, describing the RPSO role as a career progression for VPSOs.

Cockrell highlighted training at the Department of Public Safety Academy in Sitka and said graduation rates have been about 80 percent. He reported an improved retention picture compared with troopers, citing a turnover rate he characterized as "right around 30 percent," and said VPSO starting pay ranges between $38 and $40 an hour depending on local circumstances. He noted the department had approximately $22.3 million budgeted for the VPSO program and said infrastructure — particularly adequate housing in rural communities — remains a recurring constraint.

Committee members asked for additional information and raised operational questions. Senator Grama Jackson asked about current VPSO counts; Cockrell answered that all positions are "filled at 85" and that the department had 57 VPSOs covering about 50 villages while 54 villages had requested VPSOs. When asked to provide a list of troopers and their stations, Cockrell replied, "Through the chair, we can do that."

Committee members also asked about coordination between state troopers and municipal police. Cockrell described frequent joint task forces for drug enforcement and regular coordination meetings, and he said the department will assist municipal agencies when asked, including with officer-involved-shooting investigations and complex homicides.

Cockrell noted program history and impacts: the VPSO program began in 1979, the department has worked to place criminal investigators in rural regions, and the state crime lab currently houses a substantial number of sexual-assault kits that the department says it has addressed. He also described recent incidents — including a homicide in Selawik and a double homicide in Hooper Bay — to illustrate the operational role VPSOs play in remote responses.

No formal committee action or votes were taken on the VPSO briefing. Committee members thanked the commissioner and signaled follow-up requests for staffing and stationing information.

Looking ahead, Cockrell said sustained funding and improved rural infrastructure remain the principal conditions for continued VPSO growth. He told senators the department will continue to propose staffing increases and pursue coordination with local governments and grant grantees that employ many VPSOs.