Alaska DPS gets $1 million federal grant to standardize addresses in the unorganized borough

The U.S. Department of Justice obligated $1 million to the Alaska Department of Public Safety on Sept. 30 to set a statewide addressing standard and build address data for communities in the unorganized borough.

Large portions of the unorganized borough lack standardized physical addresses, the department wrote in its grant description. Without address points and consistent road naming and numbering, it said, responders face delays locating incidents, law enforcement dispatch and victim services suffer, and agencies struggle to share location data.

The unorganized borough has 74,448 residents, according to testimony before a House committee in April. Rep. Rebecca Schwanke told the Alaska House that month that half of the state falls within the unorganized borough. "There is no local government there," Schwanke said.

The project will produce a published Alaska addressing standard rooted in national guidance, standards for mapping-ready address points and road centerlines, and community engagement and outreach. The resulting data will go to the State of Alaska Open Data Geoportal, a statewide platform for map data, for use by 911 centers, public safety agencies and the public. The department will lead the work with local communities, tribal organizations, regional partners and contracted technical support.

The department says the effort will reduce response times and support readiness for Next Generation 911, known as NG911. The money is a congressionally recommended award. Federal records show the $1 million as obligated, not yet spent. The grant period runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2030.

The Justice Department also obligated $87,079 to the department on Oct. 16 for its sex offender registry. The registry's new case management system went live in late January. The money would pay for one of two changes, depending on vendor quotes: automatically setting registrants to non-compliant status when registration dates expire, or improving search on the registry website. It also covers the lease of a machine that prints and stuffs reminder letters to registrants. The state expects to add $66,921 toward a total cost of about $154,000.