Public Safety
RSSPublic safety in Alaska is the network of law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services that protect the state's communities. It covers Alaska State Troopers, municipal and village police, fire departments and village public safety officers.
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Monday, Jun 29
A soldier died guarding Fort Wainwright's gate. The drunk driver who hit him will serve 17 years.
A North Pole woman will serve 17 years for a drunk-driving crash that killed a soldier guarding Fort Wainwright's gate. Her blood alcohol was nearly four times the limit.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A Fox homeowner woke to thieves stealing his copper and fuel. Then the shooting started.
A Fox homeowner woke before dawn to burglars stealing copper and fuel, went to investigate, and traded gunfire with them. No one was hit, and the suspects got away.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A lake-island fire hands Mat-Su crews a boat-only problem
A small fire on a Flat Lake island forced Mat-Su firefighters to boat their crew across to reach it — routine flames, minus the road to get to them.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Kodiak fire department moves to fix a staffing crunch
Kodiak's Fire Protection Area No. 1 is short-handed enough that its board told the chief to build a new position — a people problem, not a money one, as volunteers get harder to find.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Driver critical after fiery solo crash closes Richardson Hwy
A driver is in critical condition after a solo crash and vehicle fire closed the Richardson Highway near milepost 210 for two and a half hours on Sunday morning.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Sunday, Jun 28
Anchorage man arrested after walking armed, drunk on Funny River Rd
Alaska State Troopers arrested Anchorage resident Garrett Andrews, 22, after he walked armed and intoxicated down Funny River Road near Soldotna on Friday night, forcing drivers to swerve.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Saturday, Jun 27
One Anchorage restaurant keeps getting caught serving with expired cards
Alaska cited six bars and restaurants for servers pouring with expired training cards — one Anchorage spot for the fifth time in four years, now risking its liquor license.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Rain offers Interior Alaska's fire crews a needed break
Rain and cooler air are headed for Interior Alaska this weekend — a real break for fire crews who've spent weeks protecting cabins, fish camps, and allotments.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
More from Public Safety
Jade Fire reaches 40% containment near Ambler; Whakatna Fire controlled
Jade Fire near Ambler is 40% contained with unburned ground between the fire and the community landfill, while 22 smokejumpers freed from two controlled fires are now fighting new ignitions near Ruby.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Smokejumpers battle two wildfires near Ruby as smoke reaches village
Smokejumpers and aircraft are battling two wildfires near Ruby that together cover 660 acres and are currently pushing away from the village and nearby Native allotments.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska opens 10 wildfire investigations in 24 hours
Alaska opened 10 wildfire investigations in 24 hours across the state, from the Kuskokwim to the Brooks Range, all under an acre and still under investigation.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Willow man, 85, missing since June 20; troopers seek tips
Alaska State Troopers seek tips on 85-year-old Willow resident missing since June 20; call (907) 352-5401 with information.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Starry Fire hits 70% containment; wetting rain expected Friday night
Starry Fire near Anderson hit 70% containment Friday as rain moves in, dropping evacuation status from GO to READY.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A small fire near the Taylor Highway, and how Alaska fights it
A lightning-sparked fire is burning just off the Taylor Highway near Chicken — small, but close enough to defend a bridge and cabins while the rest is left to burn.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Two Delta Junction wildfires in monitor status; two near full containment
Over here, you got two fires. Over here you got two fires. That's four fires. What are you gonna do with four fires? Maybe just stick to two fires.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 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
Coming up
Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly Regional Emergency Services Advisory Committee
Mona Lisa Drexler Assembly Chambers, Juanita Helms Administration Center, 907 Terminal Street, Fairbanks, AK
Meeting
Public Safety Careers Event
Community event
Alaska Police Standards Council Meeting
Meeting
Basic Handgun Class
Class
Cordova City Council E911 Surcharge Implementation
Public notice
About Public Safety
Public safety in Alaska takes in the law enforcement, fire, emergency medical and rescue services that protect its communities. It includes the Alaska State Troopers, municipal police, village public safety officers, fire departments, and search and rescue by the Coast Guard and the Alaska Air National Guard.
Highway crashes and closures, searches for missing people and boaters, structure fires and rescues in remote villages recur across the state. Local governments decide on police funding, including state grants for units that target impaired driving and street racing, as well as rules for police surveillance and ambulance fees.
Public safety overlaps closely with crime, government and the courts. In rural Alaska, troopers and village public safety officers respond to emergencies in villages, while Coast Guard cutters patrol the Arctic and the Bering Sea.
More from Public Safety
Friday, Jun 26
Jade Fire ignites near Kopshesut origin point, threatens Ambler landfill
You bought one fire was bad? How about two fires!
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
New fire near Bettles strains crews
Twelve smokejumpers dropped on a new fire near Bettles — one more blaze stretching Interior crews thin as lightning keeps the dry north lighting up.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Thursday, Jun 25
Anderson's mandatory evacuation is lifted, but the Starry Fire isn't out
Anderson's mandatory evacuation is lifted as the Starry Fire hits 60% containment. It's not out — crews are still mopping up, and the town is told to stay ready.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Beluga Fire triggers nightly FAA flight restriction near Anchorage
FAA restricted airspace over the Beluga Fire northwest of Anchorage nightly through June 28 to protect firefighting aircraft from the surface to 2,000 feet.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Moves to Keep One of the World's Last Fire Outposts
Alaska wants to keep the McGrath Fire Base — one of the last forward firefighting outposts on Earth, guarding 66 million roadless acres with a crew that's mostly temps.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Wednesday, Jun 24
Hunting boats find stranded pair 15 miles offshore near Kotzebue
Two adults stranded 15 miles offshore near Kotzebue were rescued by hunting boats before the formal rescue vessel arrived, both safe by early Wednesday morning.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly approves True North deflection contract with APD
Anchorage Assembly approved a contract with True North Recovery to connect people arrested for low-level offenses to treatment instead of jail, funded by opioid settlement money.
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
Starry Fire hits 50% containment as military crews join Alaska firefighters
Starry Fire #234 reached 50% containment Tuesday as military crews from three Alaska bases joined firefighters securing the perimeter, with rain and wind expected to help cool the interior.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Robots are fighting Alaska wildfires near Nenana right now — on their own
Near Nenana, robots are autonomously fighting fire for an $11M prize — tested on tame controlled burns while the real Interior fire season rages a short flight away.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago2 min read
Tuesday, Jun 23
Lightning Lights Up Delta Junction, Then the Rain Comes
Lightning sparked 7,400 strikes and at least 11 fires near Delta Junction Monday, with the Shaw Fire growing nearly 1,900 acres in four hours before Tuesday's rain slowed the spread.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su landfill fire draws multi-department response near Palmer-Wasilla corridor
TRASH FIRE, TRASH FIRE!!!
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
FBI, Troopers Arrest Unalaska Man on Two Child Sex Abuse Counts
Arresting one Unalaska man on child sexual abuse charges took two teams and Coast Guard and FBI aircraft, landing on two Aleutian islands at once.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Betula Fire doubles to 35 acres near Central; Colorado hotshots fly in
The Betula Fire doubled overnight by burning through the dead timber its 2025 predecessor left behind — and crews are racing to pin it before this week's lightning makes more.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A week of lightning sparked dozens of Alaska fires and forced an entire town to flee
Lightning hit Alaska more than 5,400 times in a week, sparking dozens of fires, and one behind an Anderson school forced the whole town to flee.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Monday, Jun 22
Anchorage Assembly set to award $2.4M in tree-removal contracts Tuesday
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on $2.4 million in tree-removal contracts to address beetle-killed spruce and hazard trees threatening homes and public safety.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
All 4 crew rescued after Coast Guard Jayhawk crashes near Sitka
All four crew members were rescued after a Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter crashed near Sitka.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Troopers recover paddleboarder's body from Turnagain Arm sandbar
Alaska State Troopers recovered the body of Joshua Novakovich, 25, from a Turnagain Arm sandbar on June 21, two days after he was swept away while paddleboarding near mile 92 of the Seward Highway.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
24 bottles of R&R, grounded short of Shungnak
Bargain whiskey, $400 a bottle: Fairbanks airport police seized 24 bottles of R&R bound for a dry village, street value $9,600.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min readFrom 
Smokejumpers were called to a fire near a Kuskokwim homestead — then couldn't jump
A fire near a Kuskokwim homestead hit 50 acres, so Alaska scrambled its smokejumpers — who found the terrain too dangerous to jump. Back to plan B.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A Coast Guard rescue helicopter crashed on Harbor Mountain above Sitka
A Coast Guard rescue helicopter went down on Harbor Mountain above Sitka Monday. The road is closed, and the crew that rescues others needed it
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Defending Yukon Fish Camps From Fire
Smokejumpers are guarding Yukon River fish camps and Native allotments from a creeping wildfire — right in the middle of the season families count on to fill their freezers.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Scammers Are Posing as Alaska's Liquor Regulators
Scammers are mailing fake invoices dressed up as Alaska liquor regulators — but the giveaway is easy: the real ones only ever email from @alaska.gov.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Starry Fire forces Anderson evacuations; 75 personnel battle 688-acre blaze
The Starry Fire forced Anderson evacuations Saturday and burned 688 acres 80 miles south of Fairbanks; 75 personnel are holding lines to push it toward the river.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
