State and Wildlife Troopers participate in tactical training at the Palmer PD Range in Palmer, Alaska on Monday, April 1, 2019 as part of a week-long training on sexual assault and domestic violence. (Photo courtesy of Megan Peters/Department of Public Safety)

State and Wildlife Troopers participate in tactical training at the Palmer PD Range in Palmer, Alaska on Monday, April 1, 2019 as part of a week-long training on sexual assault and domestic violence. (Photo courtesy of Megan Peters/Department of Public Safety)

State Troopers from rural communities participate in advanced weeklong training

Troopers were taught strategies for interviewing survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault

At the beginning of April, the Department of Public Safety conducted a weeklong training for Alaska State Troopers centered around combating sexual assault and domestic violence in rural areas. According to an April 9 press release from DPS, 10 State and Wildlife Troopers from the communities of Anchor Point, Bethel, Cordova, Kotzebue, Nome, Prince of Wales, St. Mary’s and Togiak attended the training.

The first day of training consisted of tactical response exercises at the Palmer PD gun range, with the rest of the week’s training taking place at the DPS crime lab in Anchorage. Troopers were taught strategies for interviewing survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, how to effectively interrogate potential suspects, how to look for signs of violence on a potential survivor and the most up-to-date techniques for crime scene and death investigations.

The topics covered in the training are also taught at the Department of Public Safety Training Academy in Sitka, which DPS Communications Director Megan Peters said all new troopers are required to attend as part of their recruitment. The purpose of this training is to teach troopers based in rural areas how to effectively respond to crimes of domestic violence and sexual assault.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“When a trooper works out in rural Alaska, they are frequently responsible for these investigations without back-up or the immediate ability to talk something through with a coworker or supervisor,” Lt. Rick Roberts said in the press release. “Instead of thinking about what immediate steps have to be taken, they are learning to think in terms of ‘what am I going to need in the next 12 hours?’ With very few resources.”

Another focus of the weeklong training was trooper resiliency and mental health. “We want our troopers to know when and how to take care of themselves,” Roberts said in the press release. “It’s okay to seek out help and accept help. Let’s face it, what our troopers deal with on a daily basis is stressful and often heartbreaking.”

Trooper Marco Fischer of Anchor Point was one of the 10 troopers who attended the training, and he spoke on Monday about his takeaway. “A lot of it was a refresher, but I did learn a lot and was able to take some resources back to my team that will help us with these kinds of cases.”

Fischer said that he was given several new investigation tools as part of the training, including a testing kit for sexual assault survivors and a new type of black light used to detect things not readily visible under normal light.

Fischer noted that investigating cases of sexual assault and domestic violence is particularly difficult in rural communities because there is often no dedicated department or personnel for these cases. Fischer said that he and other rural troopers have to handle every aspect of the investigation on their own and added that he is currently handling four such cases in addition to his other responsibilities. Fischer has been a trooper for six years and has been stationed at Anchor Point for the last two years, and he said that even troopers with more than 20 years of experience were able to learn a lot from the weeklong training. Fischer said that more troopers should take advantage of the training.

Peters said that similar events are planned for the future.

More in News

Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, speaks on the House floor on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Education funding bill unexpectedly advances again, nears House floor vote amid affordability concerns

HB 69 clears Finance Committee at first hearing as minority says discussions there are not worthwhile.

The front of the Kenai Police Department as seen on Dec. 10, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai accepts federal grant for police vests

The funds entirely cover the purchase of three ballistic vests this fiscal year.

Soldotna High School student Ethan Anding asks a question during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
District discusses $17M deficit at community meeting

More than 100 people gathered in the KCHS auditorium.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Man found dead near Kasilof roadway on Tuesday

He was found off Pollard Loop Road near Reindeer Lane in the Kasilof area.

Fire Marshal Jeremy Hamilton gives a tour to students during Job Shadow Day at Kenai Fire Department in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Roddy Craig/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai students try on careers for Job Shadow Day

Roughly 100 students from Kenai Central High School scattered to more than 30 businesses to get a feel for the workforce.

A 2015 Ford Explorer that was stolen from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce before crashing into a tree near Wells Fargo Bank is loaded onto a tow truck in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Car stolen, crashed in Kenai

The car was reportedly taken from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, talks with supporters during a campaign meet-and-greet Oct. 12, 2024, at the Southeast Alaska Real Estate office near the Nugget Mall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
‘This is no town hall. This is propaganda’; Begich takes heat at 1st virtual constituent forum

Congressman set to deliver his first joint address to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday.

Protesters stand with signs in support of federal employees, federal lands and the U.S. Constitution stand along the Sterling Highway in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna protesters call for Congress to oppose executive overreach

The local display was part of a “No Kings on President’s Day” effort orchestrated by the online 50501 movement.

Syverine Bentz, coastal training program coordinator for the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve, displays a board of ideas during a Local Solutions meeting focused on salmon at the Cook Inletkeeper Community Action Studio in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
In search of salmon solutions

Cook Inletkeeper hosts meeting to develop community project to help salmon.

Most Read