The Alaska Department of Public Safety Training Academy
The Alaska State Trooper DPS Academy is located in the Sawmill Creek area of Sitka, Alaska. With recent television exposure on the National Geographic reality television series "Alaska State Troopers", the DPS Academy is known worldwide as a premier police training institution, as it trains recruits of the Alaska State Troopers, State fire marshals, Village Public Safety Officers (VPSO's) as well as other law enforcement personnel, including Alaska's several state universities campus police departments, state parks law enforcement rangers, state airport police officers and various municipal police officers. The facility has dorms, classrooms, exhibits, a gym and a nearby firing range. The academy was built because of the traditional association and shared use of facilities of the campus of the adjacent and now defunct Sheldon-Jackson College.
The academy is technically known as the Alaska Department of Public Safety Training Academy (also the DPS Academy). The academy staff provides state-of-the art basic and in-service training to recruits, law enforcement officers, peace officers and public safety personnel from across Alaska. The rigorous nature of the basic ALET training course offered at the academy is a challenge to students who are referred to as cadets. Basic classes often have members quit due to the round-the-clock physical and mental rigors of the paramilitary training course.
In keeping with the historically close and unique working relationship between Alaska civil law enforcement and the military law enforcement arms of the US Armed Forces, law enforcement personnel of the US Army Military Police, US Air Force Security Forces and US Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Service are picked by their respective commands to attend slots in the DPS Academy that are reserved for the military services. Such training is a special career advancement opportunity for military law enforcement personnel from various Commands in Alaska and being selected to attend the AK DPS Academy is a highly competitive and sought-after opportunity that is considered to be a career highlight and honor. Only the most elite of military law enforcement personnel are selected to attend.
Canadian law enforcement officers, most notably the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) often attend special training courses and firearms competitions at the Academy. The RCMP is an official "friendship" agency with the AST and long and historic ties in working with Troopers.
In-service training is offered to Troopers annually and additional specialized course are offered to law enforcement, public safety and military personnel at various times each year.
The academy offers two full Alaska Law Enforcement Training (ALET) courses a year and one "mini" academy of 80 hours/2 weeks for former AK and out-of-state officers who wish to reenter or enter Alaska law enforcement. The full 15-week program gives state trooper and municipal officer recruits the basic academy certificate required by the Alaska Police Standards Council (APSC) as does the mini-academy for completion of credentialing for approved partially certified, retired, former and out-of-state officers.
The current Academy officially opened its doors in October 1974, though a number of basic classes had been offered at Sheldon Jackson as far back as 1969, with a two-week basic course offered for new troopers.
Several additions to the Academy facility have been made since 1974, including a new wing with dorm rooms and separate restrooms and shower facilities for females. A weight training facility and multipurpose-recreation room was added in 2001.
In 2004 a completely new and state-of-the art firearms training range was built in cooperation with the City and Borough of Sitka about 7 miles (11 km) from the academy's main facility. This range is also used by Sitka Police and several federal law enforcement agencies with offices in the region. The facility has a complete indoor classroom and long-range lanes of firing points, for both rifles, shotguns and pistols. There is a qualification and stress course set up, with dim lighting capabilities for low-light and nighttime firing, among other features.
The Academy offers a small museum, showing displays of historic weapons, equipment and uniforms, along with other exhibits related to the history and training of AK Troopers and their predecessor officers and agencies through the history of Alaska, as both a Territory and as the 49th State.
A small on-campus gift shop sells academy oriented and Alaska State Trooper-related gifts and memorabilia such as tactical gear, patches, sweat shirts, tee shirts, logo mugs and other such items.
Plans were underway in 2011 to build a cafeteria on the campus of the Academy. With the closure of Sheldon Jackson College and its cafeteria, academy recruits and students there for in-service training had no nearby or regular dining facility and had to be bussed to a meal counter at a local fish cannery.
Read more about this topic: Alaska State Troopers
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