FFY2022 District of Alaska PSN Project

The PSN Target Enforcement Area for this grant application has been identified as two distinct areas: (1) the urban area identified as the geographical boundaries of the Municipality of Anchorage, and (2) the rural area located off the road system comprised of the communities of Bethel, Dillingham, Kotzebue, Nome, and North Slope Borough.

The rate of murders and aggravated assaults is high within the District of Alaska in 2020, the year in which the most recent UCR data is available. As of 2020, the District of Alaska finds itself above the national average in terms of homicides, robberies, and assaults. Violent crime in the Rural Target Enforcement Area is fueled by alcohol with higher than the national average of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse.

The illegal possession of firearms and the use of firearms in violent crime has been an area of concern within both the Urban and Rural Target Enforcement Areas. Out of the 48 murders committed in Alaska in 2020, the murder weapon was a firearm in 25 deaths. Many of the firearm crimes within both Target Enforcement Areas are being committed by those with prior felony convictions.

Proposed evidence-based interventions include concerted coordination with federal, local, and state law enforcement and prosecutors in identifying and developing strategic planning for violent crime reduction. That coordination includes municipal, state, and federal law enforcement agencies sharing intelligence regarding violent offenders, crime trending analysis, coordinating crime reduction efforts, promoting public and officer safety, improving police community relations, encouraging networking and communication between law enforcement agencies and swifter referral of state cases involving violent offenders for federal prosecution.

The PSN Target Enforcement Areas were identified using UCR data, PSN partner intelligence sharing, and for the Municipality of Anchorage, community crime mapping.

Key PSN partners include U.S. Attorney’s Office and Federal Law Enforcement agency partners, FBI, ATF, DEA, HSI; State Law Enforcement partners, the District Attorney’s Offices, Alaska State Troopers; Local Law Enforcement partners, Anchorage Police Department, University of Alaska Campus Police, Bethel Police Department, North Slope Borough Police Department, Nome Police Department, Kotzebue Police Department, and Dillingham Police Department.

The proposed project time is three years.