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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Week of Sep 7
Troopers say Minto man, 18, died in accidental rifle discharge
Troopers say Minto man, 18, died in accidental rifle discharge
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Wasilla weighs $569,600 for round-the-clock Fire/EMS dispatch at MatCom
Wasilla City Council will vote Monday on a $569,600 budget amendment to add round-the-clock dual dispatchers at MatCom, funded entirely by the Mat-Su Borough.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Coast Guard finds 15-year-old alive on capsized skiff off St. Lawrence Island; two dead
Coast Guard found a 15-year-old alive on a capsized skiff 4 miles east of St. Lawrence Island on Monday; two other boaters from the same vessel were recovered dead.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
State clears three Anchorage officers in the fatal shooting of Emil McCord
State prosecutors cleared three Anchorage officers of criminal liability in the fatal shooting of Emil McCord, 112 days after it happened.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A Jeep rolled in Nikiski with a 14-year-old inside and the driver was arrested
A Jeep rolled onto its side in Nikiski with a 14-year-old inside. Troopers arrested the driver for DUI, the third such arrest in the area this summer.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska is adding a fingerprint background check to EMS licensing, starting in 2027
Alaska will require fingerprint background checks for EMS providers starting in 2027, as it joins a national compact letting EMTs work across state lines.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Minnesota hunter cited for wanton waste of a caribou near Sagwon
Minnesota hunter cited for leaving edible meat unsalvaged on a bull caribou near Sagwon and removing antlers before finishing the salvage.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom 
Anchorage Assembly has one meeting left before a transit safety deadline
Anchorage has one meeting left before a federal deadline to fix its transit safety plan. Assaults involving security staff rose by half last year.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
More from Public Safety
Moose hunter flown off upper Chistochina River after medical emergency
A moose hunter with a medical emergency on the remote upper Chistochina River was flown out by helicopter Monday and handed to waiting medics, troopers said.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min read
Gunfire reports in Nondalton ended in an arrest on eight charges
Reports of gunfire in Nondalton brought troopers from King Salmon and ended with a 22-year-old man arrested on eight charges, including burglary and assault.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom 
Troopers investigating death of a Kachemak Selo man found nothing suspicious
A family in Kachemak Selo found Mihey Reutov, 35, dead on Monday, and Alaska State Troopers said an early investigation found nothing suspicious.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Two EMS providers assaulted on Parks Highway in Nenana, troopers say
A man assaulted two EMS providers on the Parks Highway in Nenana early Monday and was arrested on two counts of assault in the fourth degree.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
The roads torn up fighting the Tok fire have been graded back
The roads firefighters tore up while saving Tok have been graded back into shape. Residents need them to reach what is left of their property.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Week of Aug 31
Kaktovik under a do-not-drink notice after ethylene glycol found
Kaktovik residents can't drink the village tap water after testing found ethylene glycol, the toxic compound in antifreeze, in the system. Boiling won't help.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Most of what the Tok fire burned was outbuildings. Aid may not cover them.
Two-thirds of what the Mukluk Fire destroyed near Tok were outbuildings, and the only aid program for those families generally does not cover them.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Bethel shut off the water at a house leaking sewage and it came back on
Bethel shut off the water at a house leaking sewage. The resident turned it back on the next day, and the repair deadline has now passed too.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo 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
Injured hiker flown off Deer Mountain in Ketchikan
A 26-year-old hiker was flown off Deer Mountain near Ketchikan on Saturday after becoming unable to walk, the second rescue on that trail in months.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A small wildfire was reported near Wrangell on Friday night
A small wildfire was reported near Sandy Beach outside Wrangell on Friday. The state has not said whether it is contained or threatens any homes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Fish and Wildlife bought its ninth no-bid track loader for $248,954
Fish and Wildlife has bought nine track loaders without competitive bids since August. The ninth cost $248,954, more than any of the first eight.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min read
Federal money will put naloxone and first aid training on remote Alaska fishing boats
A nurse whose son died of an overdose at sea started mailing naloxone to fishing boats. Federal money will now expand it across remote Alaska.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Bethel's deadline to fix a sewage leak passed two weeks ago
Untreated sewage is leaking onto the ground at a Bethel house. The city's repair deadline passed two weeks ago with no word on whether it was met.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Missing 11-year-old located safe in Wasilla
Troopers found an 11-year-old Wasilla boy safe Friday afternoon, hours after he went missing on his bicycle.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kenai Council on Aging reviews 2026 goals at Sept. 10 work session
Kenai's Council on Aging Commission recommends the city adopt an emergency food plan to keep the senior center stocked for two weeks of meals if operations are disrupted.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage paid to expand the crime center, then put off the rules
Anchorage funded a $598,998 crime center expansion the same night it postponed the public hearing on rules meant to govern that center.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Driver unidentified after crash at Old Murphy Dome Road and Elliot Highway near Fairbanks
Driver unidentified after crash at Old Murphy Dome Road and Elliot Highway near Fairbanks
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage police force falls hardest on Alaska Native residents
A review found Anchorage police use force disproportionately on Alaska Native residents, more than comparable cities — and likely overstated what they've fixed.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago4 min read
Troopers arrest two after 4-wheeler pursuit near Wasilla's Sage Road
Alaska State Troopers arrested two people after a four-wheeler fled near Wasilla on Wednesday night, one wanted on an outstanding warrant.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Before you head out this fall, tell someone where you are going
Leave a trip plan before you head out, Tanana Chiefs Conference says. Volunteer crews searching 235,000 square miles need to know where to look.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
The Nulato Hills Crew fights fire with hand tools, from five villages
BLM awarded Nulato Hills Enterprises a second $495,000 contract to run a seasonal wildland fire crew through March 2031, drawing firefighters from five Interior villages.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska's smallest fire year since 1995 was also one of its most destructive
Alaska's quietest fire season in 30 years still took 50 homes at Tok, in a fire a climate specialist calls among the most destructive in state history.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Fifty homes destroyed at Tok in Alaska's lightest burn year since 1995
The Mukluk Fire destroyed more than 40 homes at Tok during Alaska's lightest burn year since 1995, making it one of the most destructive fires in state history despite record-low statewide acreage.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Troopers search by air and ground for missing hunter near Halibut Cove
Alaska State Troopers are searching by air and ground near Halibut Cove for a solo hunter who stopped communicating with his wife Monday evening and has not been found.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Juneau's new flood evacuation maps were in use within a month
Juneau updated its Mendenhall Valley evacuation maps in July. By mid-August residents were being told to leave, as the river hit major flood stage again.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom 
Mat-Su explores building the troopers a new home and leasing it back
Mat-Su is exploring building troopers a $13 million facility and leasing it back. Troopers now work from six buildings never designed for police work.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Motorcyclist critically injured in Kalifornsky Beach Road crash near Kasilof
A motorcyclist struck a turning pickup truck on Kalifornsky Beach Road near Kasilof on Monday and was flown to Seattle with life-threatening injuries.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage had no ALS ambulance available about 70 times last year
Anchorage had no advanced life support ambulance available about 70 times in 2024, and no basic life support unit more than 315 times.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly takes up a $599,000 crime center purchase and surveillance limits
A $599,000 video wall for Anchorage's crime center returns to the Assembly Tuesday, alongside an ordinance that would write surveillance limits into city code.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min read
Free one-hour EMS session Sept. 2 on Alaska's new fingerprint rules
Alaska EMS clinicians must switch to fingerprint background checks starting Sept. 20 under a new multistate compact, with the state briefing providers on Sept. 2.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Week of Aug 24
Sitka man to be paid $419,840 to put boats under Coast Guard helicopters
A Sitka man will collect $419,840 to park boats under Coast Guard helicopters so crews can practice hoisting people off the water. Only one company bid.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 min read
Trooper fires at armed man outside his Wasilla home after false report
A trooper fired at an armed man outside a Wasilla home Sunday after responding to a false 911 assault report, striking no one. The caller was intoxicated and had not been assaulted.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
