Letter to the Editor
Thanks to troopers
Published Tuesday, June 10, 2008
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Stumble It!June 6, 2008
To the editor:
I am writing this letter to applaud our state troopers for a job well done. My house has been burglarized three times in two weeks. The last time, my best neighbor heard the commotion and called my husband who in turn called the troopers. They responded immediately, and after a long run through the thick woods they were able to take custody of these three young juvenile delinquents.
They put their lives in jeopardy to defend my property. One officer in particular stands out, who I will call “officer W.” He responded the last two times and deserves a huge pat on the back for his sincerity and professionalism. We can’t thank enough all of the state troopers who responded on and off duty for what they have done for us.
With gratitude for a job well done. Thank you!
Community Discussion
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I had a recent encounter with troopers who suspected me of a crime. Even before the matter was cleared up, they were considerate, professional, and reasonable to talk with. This is a stark contrast to some Fairbanks police who have been rude and hostile on even minor (unjustified) traffic stops. I get the impression that fairbanks police are taught to use intimidation to "control the situation," even at the cost of professionalism.
I heard that there are more FPD officers than Troopers in this area. That strikes me as a bit odd, since the state cops have huge areas to cover, and also investigate drug crimes, wildlife violations, perform search and rescues, respond to villages, etc. Looks like Alaska is working at least SOME of their employees a little harshly.
Hey you two...I've been driving in Alaska for 35 years and I've been stopped twice by the cops. Once for speeding and once for running a stop sign. Got cited both times. I screwed up and cops were just doing their jobs. Sounds like you two have cop encounters on a frequent basis. Maybe you should try looking in the mirror to see the problem.
A job well done to you, your neighbor and the Troopers. And Thanks to the rest of the Officers out there. I am happy to see them patrol by when I have my kids at the playgrounds in North Pole.
I have traveled fairly extensively throughout the country and a little bit internationally and I pay attention to issues of law and order as I have a passionate interest in government. I have also had the opportunity to deal with police on several occasions both as victim and perpetrator of relatively minor infractions. In that time I have learned a few things about how the police do their jobs. Despite the high profile arrest of a trooper for rape I can say without hesitation that the AST is one of the very best run law enforcement operations in the world. The professionalism they exude on the job is top shelf and I wish every agency could learn a thing or two from them. Their ability to cover wildly varying missions over a vast geographic area is without equal. And we all owe them a citizen's application for a job well done. Now if only our elected officials could conduct themselves with half of the competence AST does?
Let me contrast two experiences I've had with police agencies.
When I still lived in the Fairbanks area my truck was broken into and some items stolen. I called AST and an officer drove to my home and took a report. Very good response.
After moving to the Lower 48 that same truck was again broken into and some items again stolen. I called my local city PD. They refused to send an officer to the scene and they wouldn't even take my information over the phone! I drove my truck to the PD station and the desk cop wouldn't even come out from behind his bulletproof glass to look at the damage. He shoved some paperwork through the slot at me to fill out but it was plain that he couldn't have cared less.
Enjoy the superior service provided by AST and, I'm sure, the FPD. You won't see that kind of thing down here in the "big" city.
how come we could not comment on the trooper crashing his car yesterday
I recently lost a brother to a heart attack. This occurred in Kansas City. My oldest brother who is in his 60s had been working in the yard when his daughter called. Gary had to tell her he would call her back because he was out of breath. Next thing he knew 3 police cars, an ambulance and fire truck showed up at his house. My niece worried he was having a heart attack too. When the police found out what was going on they actually helped my brother finish up his yard work.
I have never had a bad experience with any of our police here. When my husband was a district manager for the Newsminer the North Pole Police were always there for him.
Because the DNM staff recognizes when commenting is not required or productive.
akwebsurfer-you are absolutely correct. It is not uncommon to have two or three times the amount of FPD officers on shift as the number of troopers (including wildlife, DUI team, rural troopers etc) on shift.
The state has over 50 vacancies right now within AST that they are unable to fill.
sdoownek
that might sound a bit prejudicial if I was a bit more cynical.
And I'm pretty cynical.
We can comment on the guy in Ketchikan.
So...anybody ever fire a hand gun in a car? That has to smart the old ear drums a bit.
The troopers do NOT do the best they can. Approx 15 years ago my house was broken into. All my guns we're stolen along with camera gear and my wife's jewelry, and a chainsaw. The EINSTEIN that broke in got into my garage. The door into the house was locked so he tried to jimmy it with his driver's license. That not working. he laid down the drivers license and used one of my screwdrivers to get in. When I discovered the burglury and the drivers license I was elated. I was gfonna get my stuff back. The investigating trooper. looking at the Perp's driver's license, stated..I know this guy..we'll get your stuff back. It took three weeks for them to get to the North Pole address from Fairbanks. During that time thje jewelry and camera equipment was thrown into the Chena River, the gunns we're sold to an individual(name and address given to the troopers, and the only thing recovered was the chain saw.Obviously the troopers had too many Domestic and drunken driving calls to make for three weeks., Just couldn't find the time to check this guy out.(He left his drivers license, complete with picture. address, etc) The guy who bought my guns. told the troopers a month later he didn't buy any guns..End of the case as far as the troopers are concerned. I get a letter every year from the troopers asking if I've recovered my property so they can close the case. I thought that was their job!!
So JayT, you're forming your entire opinion of a 250+ member department on a single incident involving a single trooper over 15 years ago? Call me a skeptic, but that single outdated event hardly constitutes a valid basis for an opinion. I'd be willing to bet that less than 5% of the people employed when that incident happened are still with AST, and that NONE of them are still in Fairbanks.
I called 911 a couple of weeks ago becouse some people in Birchwood homes were fighting outside of thier apt. and then gunshots were fired..... it took ten minutes for the police to arrive. news miner wrote a couple of days later that a gun and casings were found but no arrests.
ten minutes to respond to shots fired.
Hey I have a similiar story ! My husbands dirt bike was stolen out of our backyard a few years ago and I called the AST. They took my report over the phone because they didnt have any officers in the area. They asked me for my address and phone number and the VIN. I gave them all the info they requested and they told me if they found it, and they stressed IF, they would call. Well 1 year later my husband was driving by a junkyard and saw his bike. He stopped and called the troopers. To his surprise they told him that the bike had been recovered 4 days after it was reported stolen and they had sent to the junkyard when we didnt claim it. How did this happen well.... somehow the letter was sent to a completely different address. It was sent back to them as undeliverable no such address. Instead of checking the report and seeing that they had the wrong address on the letter or calling the number I had left on the report they sent the bike to impound. My husband went back and talked to the man at the impound and the guy told him that if we wanted the bike back we would have to pay the impound fee and after this he snickered "might as well buy a brand new bike."
My husband then went to the troopers office and demanded they help him get his bike back. They told him there was nothing they could do. They would have a supervisor call us when he came on shift. Upon returning to the junkyard the man there told my husband that the bike was shot - didnt run and he had just sold it!!!
We have written letters to the troopers as well as called them on many occasions but have never gotten anything more than a I'm sorry that happened. Sure the AST might be helpful in catching and arresting people but dont make the mistake of trusting them with your property!
That is why valuble possessions are best left locked up where they cannot be stolen. Troopers are more likely to respond to a domestic violence call than to a burglary that took place the day before. Their job is to ensure that the public is safe from any type of harm that may come. Stolen property is always going to come after that type of incident. Also, if there is not an officer in the area of a crime, it can take up to 10 minutes for them to arrive on the scene. They cant be everywhere at once. They do wonderful jobs at what they were trained to do.
Any time I've had a run-in with the troopers they have always been considerate and professional. I knew I was wrong and they never rubbed it in. I was always treated with respect and given dignity. I am now proud to say my son-in-law is an AST and tho on Guam, I have an AST support sticker on my car still. Kudos to all AST's.
Mrs Jackson....
after reading your story and then FLCGirl's response it is now clear to me that you were the one at fault
You should tell your husband next time that he should lock his bike up in a safety deposit box so it won't get stolen!!! :)
Crime pays in Fairbanks - can't believe you all haven't figured it out yet....I recently installed a security system, complete with cameras, in my home that I can monitor over the net for just this reason.
Many years ago I had a neighbor whose van could not make the hill to the main road during a particularly icy spell. I would tow him to the top of the road with my Subaru and he would take it from there. Well, naturally, our schedules did not always coincide. I took him to the top of the hill one morning before I headed to work. He parked the van there at the top and walked back down to his house. Three hours later, when he walked back to the van to go to work, it was gone. Troopers had it towed as a "hazard vehicle." Due to the impound fees, he was going to lose his van. I took him around to junkyards that weekend to hunt down a part for his old pickup truck to get it running. By chance, we stumbled upon his van in an impound lot. With keys in his pocket, he started it up and drove home. Justice served.
That said, I think AST, in general, does a great job. As with any organization, its members have varying degrees of competency and integrity.
Each and every time I’ve dealt with an Alaska State Trooper, I’ve been extremely impressed by those men and women. They’ve ALWAYS been professional and courteous.
The vast majority of times that I’ve dealt with a UAF Police Officer, I’ve been impressed. They’re generally very professional and courteous.
In contrast, EACH and EVERY time that I’ve dealt with a Fairbanks Police Officer, I’ve felt frustrated, insulted and demeaned. I ALWAYS feel like the bad guy when I deal with a FPD officer, even when I’m the one who approached them for assistance.
The state troopers are always more polite and courteous than the Fairbanks Police Department. But you have to see it from their point of view, when you have the little mans syndrome like the FPD you have to use intimidation, the AST don't have this problem due to the amount of power each respective position holds.
I used to have a job where I worked with law enforcement officers on a regular basis. I have to agree with other users in saying that I've had great experiences with AST, UAF, and the airport police - but several awful experiences with FPD. One of their female officers is completely psycho, and one of their investigators actually told me that he believed 75% of reported rapes in Fairbanks are FALSE REPORTS. Are you kidding me? This is the guy we trust to help assault victims and he doesn't even believe them.
MikeDanger-
I couldn't agree with you more! AST is more objective and thorough than FPD. All my encounters with FPD were horrible! It's like they form an opinion from the beginning and try to prove that instead of actual investigating. They are also pointedly clear on their personal opinions, you know when they don't like you. There are those who are the exception and they make FPD look good, they should go apply with AST. But they are too busy doing their jobs to handle everyone's complaints.
My one encounter with the UAF police left me with a good feeling for the officer's professionalism. I was pulled over this winter (first time since 1987) for having my front license plate obscured by the canvas I'd placed over the grill during the cold spell. I didn't know the front plate needed to be visible. The officer was friendly, explained the law to me, never spoke down to me, and let me go with a warning from him and a promise from me to readjust the canvas when I got home. I can't speak for the whole department, but this officer clearly understands that he is not just an authority figure, but also a public servant.
when i first moved here in 92 myself and two other guys were hired as laborers putting in pipe to new employee housing at chsr.that night one of the guys got into a fight with these carpenters and ast was called.it was probably around two in the morning and they said they were too busy to come so they told us to just lock him in a cabin until about 9 or 10 i thought that wasc hilarious.ak is great
It is often that Fairbanks has 3 Officers and a supervisor on shift. Rarely do they have more on shift tahn the troopers. If you can count the FPD detectivies, than you can also count the investigators from ABI (AST investigations) which will easily outnumber FPD
If there are two calls that officers are on, it would be easy to understand how it could take them 10 minutes to get across town. Remember FPD patrol area includes Van Horn, parts of Univ ave. parts of college rd north to Farmers lp and south to 3 mile gate on the rich
InupiaqDiva
You might be surprised at the number of troopers who try to get hired on at FPD (as well as other municipal departments). There is a reason that there are so many opening at AST that cant be filled and why they cant retain troopers after they are trained
I agree with everyone about FPD, I called then once when my ex boyfriend started abusing me and I locked myself in a bathroom to get away from him and when the officers responded one of them told him they thought I was the crazy one and probably deserved it.