Font Resize"This is a question of resources," said John Cyr, executive director of the Public Safety Employees Association, the union that represents the troopers.
"It's a question of what are we going to spend to make Alaskans safe. I do not believe and I have yet to see in anything the governor has put out any real commitment to changing the way we
Cyr is referring to the governor's plan for a new direction. A direction that many say is not new at all.
"It looked really familiar. It was something that mirrored primarily what we did in our strategic plan," said former commissioner of Public Safety Walt Monegan.
Monegan developed a strategic compass plan, which covered a 10-year period. The plan was introduced to the Senate Judiciary Committee during testimony in January 2008. It was divided in three parts covering a long-term, 10-year goal; two immediate five-year plans and annual action plans that stressed the need for updated equipment and trooper recruitment—all in an effort to actively fight the drug and alcohol issues in rural areas.
"We felt that Commissioner Monegan was heading down the right track," said Cyr. "That's not to say we didn't have differences, because we did. But for the first time in years it was somebody who took a comprehensive look at public safety and tried to make some real decisions."
The governor's spokesperson, Sharon Leighow, said the governor's plan is just a snapshot of where public safety is headed and that these are not new problems, just
Commissioner Kopp offered no response. His spokesperson said Kopp is still working on the plan. The governor's plan highlighted issues involving alcohol; drug abuse and crime; trooper recruitment and retention.
"There isn't anything that's new in that plan," said Monegan. "Just comparing the strat plan with the release, I don't know if there is new details that she's got. These are just general topics, but the goals are the same."
While the plans and goals are similar, with the same ongoing issues, it's the direction of dealing with these issues that have some concerned. Governor Palin's plan talks about reclassifying existing open trooper job positions, such as court services and investigative
"I am not sure that the governor really means what she says here. But if we are going to reclassify open positions, that means we will be in effect, losing trooper positions in the future," said Cyr.
According to the union, court officers and secretaries are not trained as troopers and are not an answer to filling the vacant spots.
"What this does is it reduces the number of trooper positions," said Cyr. "When we are all in agreement we need 150 and 200 more positions filled."
The issues of retaining current troopers and recruiting new ones are not new, as previous administrations have dealt with the problem, but it's something that can be remedied. "You don't reduce standards, that's anathema. What you do, you provide for better housing, you provide for a better economic package, you move back to a defined benefit retirement system," says Cyr.
Union officials say troopers are doing the best they can with what they have, but still are uncertain of the future.
"If there is a plan and there are things that these bullets don't show, or if there are things that out there that this governor is working on that none of us know anything about, I like to see her share them. I like to see what that plan is and I like to see where we are going in the future," said Cyr.
It's the future many are looking towards, wondering what the governor's plan of action will entail.
To contact Corey, call 907-273-3186.
