Two Alaska State Troopers killed in Tanana Shooting

[yukonjack]

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20140501/two-alaska-state-troopers-killed-tanana-shooting

http://www.newsminer.com/news/local...cle_d72d0a56-d19d-11e3-9647-001a4bcf6878.html

So sad. These troopers were sent out to investigate a gun crime that actually happened yesterday. I've been out there a dozen times and can just imagine how this happened. Tanana does not have an armed police officer only a village public safety officer. If something serious happens they've got to call the Troopers who then have to arrange for an aircraft to fly them in. I wrote this about my first trip out there.

"The first time I went to Tanana to pick up a prisoner I had to walk from the airport over to the little police station they had. Then had to walk my prisoner in handcuffs back to the airport. They had two jail cells. The one on the right was stacked from the floor to the ceiling with cases of booze. The one in front of me held the prisoner. The village police officer told me that the booze was the inventory for the city owned liqour store. He said they had so many burglaries of the liqour store it was just easier to keep the booze in the police station. He said "we arrest for them for public intoxication and disorderly conduct and then lock them up in a cell next to the object of their desires. Kinda cruel don't ya think?"

I asked him why he hadn't just brought the prisoner to Fairbanks himself since it would have been a free flight. He said that a couple of months before he'd gone to Fairbanks and got arrested on a DWI. He said as part of his plea agreement he wasn't allowed to go back there for 6 months. He said he really didn't mind since he got to keep his job. He told me he was really a pretty good guy when he was sober. Asked my Sgt. about it when I got back. Said he was the only guy in the village that would take the job and wasn't afraid of arresting his own relatives if he had to.

Tanana is where the reality show "Yukon Men" on The Discovery Channel is filmed.

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/yukon-men

 

[dennishoddy]

I love those Alaska shows.
Alcohol seems to be a major part of life. With that much darkness at certain times of the year, I can see how it is.

Buddy went on an Elk hunt on Prince Edward Island. We googled the island, and it showed the businesses. Every town, even those that had 50-100 folks had a liquor store.

Party on!

 

[11b1776]

Every store has it own liquor store, the grocery store, Freds(it's like walmart), even Sams club, they have a HUGE liquor area in the store. That's what is done in the winter(dark except for a few hours a day) for the most part, and it bleeds into summer(light most of the day).

 

[11b1776]

And by summer I mean May is breakup when everything starts thawing out, I had pants and long sleeves on in early June, and pants and long sleeves back on in late August. The natives for the most part if it's above 30 they have shorts and T shirts on.

 

[yukonjack]

And right now were are going into the constant daylight season. I think it's almost 18 hours now. And only gonna get longer. The alcohol thing gets old up here. It seems like everwhere you go in Anchorage there is an alcoholic on the street corner taking his turn with a sign they share. The death of these troopers is just so sad.

 

[yukonjack]

Updated story link

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20140502/after-trooper-deaths-standoff-ends-peacefully-tanana

 

[SMS]

Man thoughts and prayers out to the families. Those guys have a tough job and have my respect (well except for one of my idiot ex brothers-in-law who is the Alaska State Trooper of the Sarah Palin controversy fame. That dude was and still is an idiot and a liar. I have no idea how he bullsh$tted his way into the organization)