Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) is the state agency overseeing law enforcement, fire and life safety, and search and rescue in Alaska. It runs Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Village Public Safety Officers, and the State Crime Lab, serving communities statewide.
Photo: Guillaume Vachey via Wikimedia Commons · Photo source · CC0
dps.alaska.gov ↗Alaska
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August 2026
Saint Mary's woman, 42, dies pinned under an ATV in Pitkas Point
Tragic accident - a woman from Saint Mary's died Saturday night after being pinned under an ATV in Pitkas Point, Troopers said
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Wasilla man fined $320 for false residency claim on a fishing and hunting license
A Wasilla man paid $320 for fudging where he lives on a fishing license. The residency rule he ran afoul of just survived a veto fight in Juneau.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Troopers arrest Charles Yingst in Big Lake on warrants topping $2 million
Alaska State Troopers arrested Charles Yingst in Big Lake on Wednesday on warrants totaling more than $2 million for fraud and escape charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Stebbins man arrested after armed standoff with troopers
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 25-year-old Stebbins man on four assault charges after he fled a domestic violence call with a firearm and surrendered following a standoff on a bluff.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Big Lake man charged with 21 theft counts after Mat-Su traffic stop
Big Lake man Jonathan Meeks faces 25 criminal counts after troopers found stolen credit cards, IDs, checks and prescription drugs in his impounded vehicle.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Wasilla woman charged in storage-unit burglary that netted stolen firearms
A Wasilla woman faces 14 counts in a December storage-unit burglary that took multiple firearms, troopers say — with an accomplice still at large.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Bethel man arrested for DUI near Cooper Landing after a REDDI report
A driver reported swerving into oncoming traffic near Cooper Landing was arrested on a DUI charge Friday night, flagged through the state's REDDI line.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Big Lake man arrested on seven sexual assault counts in Wasilla case
A 62-year-old Big Lake man was arrested Thursday on seven sexual assault counts stemming from a case first reported in May 2025, more than a year before the grand jury indictment.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Troopers charge Glennallen woman after Richardson Highway drug stop
Alaska State Troopers charged Amanda Craig of Glennallen with drug possession after seizing cocaine from her vehicle during a Richardson Highway stop on July 17.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Four wildfires broke out on the North Slope within 17 minutes Thursday
Four wildfires broke out on Alaska's North Slope within 17 minutes Thursday, across 40 miles of tundra, the kind of lightning-driven cluster expected to grow as the Arctic warms.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Troopers and corrections officers recruit at the Mat-Su Job Center
Two Alaska public-safety agencies are recruiting at the Mat-Su Job Center in Wasilla — State Troopers on Wednesday, corrections officers every Friday.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Troopers arrest nine on drug charges during Salmonfest in Ninilchik
Troopers arrested nine at Salmonfest, eight on felony drug distribution charges, though the dispatch names no one and gives no drug quantities.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readFrom 
July 2026
Six Kasilof dipnetters cited this month, all for failing to record catch
Six people got cited on Kasilof dipnet fisheries this month, none for taking too many fish, all for forgetting to write down what they caught. Bail runs $120.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
An Ekwok safety officer was assaulted doing the job alone
An Ekwok village safety officer was assaulted at the clinic following up on a case — the risk of being the lone law enforcement in a remote village.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Homer fisherman cited for fishing closed waters in Bristol Bay
A Homer fisherman cited for fishing closed waters in Egegik heads to court Aug. 7 — a case that lands on Bristol Bay's tight fishing clock and who it's built to protect.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readFrom 
A Palmer sentencing marks another case from Alaska's cybertip pipeline
A Palmer man will register as a sex offender for life after pleading guilty to possessing child abuse material — one of a run of Alaska cybertip cases.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
About Alaska Department of Public Safety
Photo: Guillaume Vachey via Wikimedia Commons · Photo source · CC0
dps.alaska.gov ↗Alaska
The Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) is the state agency for law enforcement, fire and life safety, and search and rescue in Alaska. It runs the Alaska State Troopers, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, the Village Public Safety Officer program and the State Crime Lab.
Troopers investigate crimes and make arrests across the state, from drug and domestic violence cases to sexual abuse and burglary. Wildlife Troopers enforce hunting and fishing rules, including licensing, residency requirements and catch records. The department also issues Silver Alerts for missing people, keeps the sex offender registry and rescues injured hikers.
Rural public safety is a recurring question, and Village Public Safety Officers work through regional tribal organizations such as Tanana Chiefs Conference. Local governments such as the Matanuska-Susitna Borough have explored building facilities for troopers.
More from Alaska Department of Public Safety
Troopers issue Silver Alert for 73-year-old missing near Fairbanks
Troopers issued a Silver Alert for Rodney Rutherford, 73, last seen on Murphy Dome Road near Fairbanks Friday night. Call 907-451-5100 with information.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Three DUI arrests in one day span Kenai Peninsula and Fairbanks
Alaska State Troopers arrested three drivers on DUI charges Saturday, two on the Kenai Peninsula and one in Fairbanks, after crashes that injured multiple people.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Copper River dip netters stranded on sandbar near Chitina, self-rescue before troopers arrive
Dip netters stranded on a Copper River sandbar near Chitina self-rescued Friday before troopers arrived.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks cold case cracked after suspect called in his own tip
A Michigan man arrested in July 2026 is charged with killing a Fairbanks man whose remains were found in a barrel off the Steese Highway in May 2025, over 30 years after he vanished in 1993.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
New York hiker airlifted after head injury on Reed Lakes trail
NY resident got hurt at Reed Lakes. Be careful Reed Lakes. The rocks can get slippery.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A Big Lake man is charged with assault after a report at a school parking lot
Alaska State Troopers arrested a Big Lake man Thursday after witnesses reported an assault inside a vehicle at Big Lake Elementary School parking lot.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Metlakatla man sentenced in child exploitation case
A Metlakatla man was sentenced to three years for distributing child sexual abuse material — one of four arrested in a broader investigation of the small Southeast community.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks man killed after trooper opens fire during early-morning pursuit
Alaska State Trooper shot and killed a man in Fairbanks early Monday after a 90-second vehicle pursuit ended on a dead-end street and the driver turned toward the officer. • This is the second officer-involved fatality in Fairbanks in two weeks. • The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation; the Office of Special Prosecutions will independently review findings.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Fritz Creek man charged again with DUI after meth-impaired rollover while on release conditions
A Fritz Creek man was charged with DUI after rolling his vehicle on East End Road on May 16 while impaired by methamphetamine, violating court-ordered release conditions from a prior DUI-drug case.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Wildlife Troopers issue 13 citations across Bristol Bay in 10-day enforcement push
Alaska Wildlife Troopers issued 13 citations to commercial fishers in Bristol Bay's Egegik and Nushagak districts between June 26 and July 1 for closed-period and closed-waters violations.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Nelson Island residents put out tundra fire before state crews could arrive
Nelson Island residents near Toksook Bay extinguished a lightning-caused tundra fire on June 24 before state crews could arrive, the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection reported.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Inside a bootlegging pipeline into dry Alaska
Troopers say they broke up a major bootlegging operation smuggling thousands of pounds of alcohol into the Bethel region — where booze is banned, so smuggling it is big business.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
June 2026
Nome man indicted on 47 counts of sexual abuse spanning 16 years
A Bethel grand jury indicted a former Nome foster parent on 47 counts of sexual abuse. State troopers believe more victims exist.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Trooper stop near Glennallen nets fentanyl charge, felon-with-firearm arrest
Bad boys, bad boys. what you gonna do?
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Two Sitka men face child exploitation charges
A statewide task force arrested two Sitka men within a day of each other on separate child sexual abuse material charges; both are held without bail and presumed innocent.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
U.S. Attorney warns violence against Alaska officers is rising
U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman warned that violence against Alaska officers is rising and often unreported, citing a recent shooting where an officer was struck in the knee.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Petersburg fire training center relocation could cost $800,000-plus
Petersburg fire department must move its training facility from the airport by December 31, with relocation costs exceeding $800,000 and no confirmed funding source yet identified.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Petersburg police, fire face staffing crisis with 5 open positions
Petersburg police have three dispatcher and two patrol officer vacancies while fire and EMS rely on volunteers with limited actual response capacity, complicating plans to expand services to Thomas Bay.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Troopers arrest Nanwalek man on domestic violence charges
Alaska State Troopers arrested Terence P. Swenning, 27, of Nanwalek on Monday on domestic violence charges including assault in the presence of three children.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Red Flag Warning covers inland Bristol Bay through Thursday
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for inland Bristol Bay through Thursday evening as warm temperatures, low humidity, strong winds, and dry grass created conditions for fast-moving wildfires.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Mat-Su officers arrest two inmates on contraband warrants
Court Services Officers arrested two Mat-Su men on contraband warrants at separate correctional facilities within 24 hours, both already in custody on unrelated charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska training academy graduates 24 officers after 17-week program
Alaska Law Enforcement Training Academy graduated 24 officers Wednesday after completing 17 weeks of training in Sitka, with recruits joining the State Troopers, Wildlife Troopers, State Parks, and municipal police departments across the state.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Wasilla woman faces fentanyl, heroin charges after traffic stop
Alaska State Troopers arrested Wasilla resident Kristena Bannon, 42, on May 28 after finding fentanyl and heroin during a traffic stop, charging her with two counts of controlled-substance possession.
by Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Anchorage man dies in ATV crash near Knik River
Brandon Ilutsik, 42, of Anchorage died Friday after his ATV crashed on a trail near the Knik River, Alaska State Troopers reported.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read