A 675-mile snowmachine patrol reached nine Interior villages

Tanana Chiefs Conference Public Safety officers taught fire prevention and gun safety to students in Rampart during a February snowmachine patrol. In Chalkyitsik, they checked on a partially built Village Public Safety Officer house that will hold future law enforcement staffing.

The 675-mile route crossed nine Yukon River villages: Circle, Fort Yukon, Birch Creek, Chalkyitsik, Beaver, Stevens Village, Rampart, Manley Hot Springs and Nenana. The patrol was part of the department's new Regional Rover Program, TCC Public Safety Manager David Atteberry wrote in a March account.

The program fits a broader push to extend law enforcement coverage into remote Alaska communities. Regional Public Safety Officers, a state-supported role, "provide important services to Alaskans living in rural communities," the Alaska Department of Public Safety said, supporting VPSOs and state troopers by responding to calls and providing law enforcement assistance.

TCC serves 39 villages across 235,000 square miles of Interior Alaska, about 37% of the state's land area.

Worsening river overflow and an approaching snowstorm ended the run in Nenana.