DPS says Talkeetna trooper post merits reopening but lacks staff and funds

Commissioner James Cockrell told the Senate Department of Public Safety finance subcommittee the Talkeetna post warrants reestablishing as a permanent trooper station, citing traffic patterns, search‑and‑rescue volume and drug interdiction along the Parks Highway, but he said the department currently lacks the staff and funding to do so.

"When you look at the number of visitors, supposedly, I've been told it's about 1,000,000 visitors a year goes through there," Cockrell said, and later added that the Parks Highway functions as a "drug pipeline" with multiple interceptions between the Cantwell area and Fairbanks. He said the department previously closed the post in 2015 or 2016 for budgetary reasons and that distance to adjacent posts creates long response times and risk during emergency responses.

Cockrell said the department's strategy includes strengthening the Village Public Safety Officer program and placing VPSOs in villages that request them; he noted the department placed 20 VPSOs in villages that previously had none and said the goal is "to have a VPSO in all villages that want or ask us for a VPSO." He also said the department is exploring agreements and conversations with boroughs and municipalities about policing responsibilities, but that local governments have not volunteered to assume service in the areas discussed.

Senators asked for a map showing call‑for‑service concentrations in parts of the Kenai Peninsula, Mat Su Borough and Fairbanks North Star Borough; Cockrell agreed to provide that map. The chair also noted Director Holscher of VPSO operations was online and available as follow‑up to provide operational details.

Cockrell said reestablishing a permanent Talkeetna post would require additional troopers and recurring funding the department does not have under the current staffing model. He urged the legislature to consider long‑term resource tradeoffs rather than relying solely on surges or short‑term overtime to cover gaps.

The subcommittee did not vote on any action related to the Talkeetna post during the hearing; members asked for follow‑up materials and staffing breakdowns to better evaluate the operational and fiscal implications.