Press Releases
05/22/13,
DPS PR# 13-014
New Alaska Wildlife Trooper Colonel Announced
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) - The Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, Joe Masters, is please to introduce Colonel Jim Cockrell as the newly appointed director of the Division of Alaska Wildlife Troopers. On June 3rd, Colonel Cockrell will take over the Division following the retirement of Colonel Gary Folger.
Colonel Cockrell is no stranger to the Department of Public Safety. He first pinned on a badge as a Fish and Wildlife Protection Officer in 1983. He rose through the ranks and retired as a Major for the Alaska State Troopers in 2004. His retirement was short lived and he returned almost immediately as an Alaska State Trooper to coordinate a Joint Enforcement Agreement with Federal partners before hanging up his Stetson again in 2007.
Cockrell, not one to take retirement as a ticket to the leisurely life, joined on with Doyon Universal Services as a Security Captain, and later as a Senior Security Administrator for Nana Management Services providing contract security services at critical infrastructure and petro chemical facilities. In these capacities he was responsible for safeguarding corporate assets, security policy adherence, and to ensure that federal regulations under the Marine Transportation Security Act were met. He was also a member of their Critical Incident Management Teams.
Cockrell is bringing back to DPS over two decades of supervisory and budgetary experience and is passionate about continuing his career of protecting Alaska’s wildlife resources. DPS is thrilled to have him back in the ranks taking a position at the helm of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Please join me in providing a warm welcome as the new Colonel takes on his duties.
Jim Cockrell in 2003 as a Major for the Alaska State Troopers
PDF version of the release...
05/16/13,
DPS PR# 13-013
Click It or Ticket 2013
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) -Starting Monday, May 20, 2013, the Alaska State Troopers will participate in the annual National Click it or Ticket Campaign which lasts through June 2, 2013. Troopers will be out on patrols and they will be watching for motorists not wearing their seatbelts.
Troopers encourage you to always practice safe driving behaviors on the roads while traveling to and from your destination. If you are in a vehicle, you should always wear your seatbelt and encourage those around you to do the same. Children in vehicles should be properly restrained using the appropriate safety equipment whether it be a seatbelt, a booster seat or a car seat.
Funding for this educational campaign is coordinated through the Alaska Office of Highway Safety.
PDF version of the release...
05/10/13,
DPS PR # 13-012
Alaskans Turn In 3,931 Pounds During Recent National Prescription Take Back Day
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) - Alaskans turned in 3,931 pounds of prescription medication during the sixth Drug Enforcement Administration National Prescription Drug Take Back event on April 27.
Until a safe disposal process for prescription medications is established nationwide, the DEA will continue to partner with agencies, like the Alaska State Troopers, to hold Take Back Days every six months. The Alaska State Troopers would like to thank the DEA along with the Alaska National Guard Counterdrug Support Program, the U.S. Department of Justice, Anchorage Police Department, Fort Wainwright, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Juneau PD, Wasilla PD, Palmer PD, Valdez PD, North Pole PD, Soldotna PD, Kenai PD and Seward PD for their efforts. The event wouldn't have been possible or successful without the enormous effort put out by the volunteers and private agencies.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high - more Americans currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, and heroin combined, according to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
In all, there were 31 Take Back locations in 25 communities around Alaska that participated in the event in April: Anchorage, Aniak, Bethel, Dillingham, Eagle River, Emmonak, Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright , Glennallen, Juneau, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Ketchikan, Klawock, Kodiak, Kotzebue, McGrath, Nome, North Pole, Palmer, St. Mary’s, Seward, Sitka, Soldotna, Talkeetna and Wasilla.
For a list of amount of prescription drugs turned in throughout the different Alaska communities, go to http://www.dps.state.ak.us/PIO/releases/resources/Press%20Release%20Information/. To view the DEA's national release on the Prescription Drug Take Back Day, go to http://www.justice.gov/dea/divisions/hq/2013/hq050213.shtml.
PDF version of the release...
