SHOW FEATURES FAIRBANKS, KOTZEBUE, KODIAK, PETERSBURG
“Alaska PD,” a new show on the A&E Network, will bring the challenges of Last Frontier of justice to the rest of America on New Year’s Day, when “the line between civilization and lawlessness can be razor thin,” according to the A&E promotion.
The show will document some of short-handed police departments around the state, where local forces “must turn to officers from the Lower 48 to fighting a soaring crime rate.” Fairbanks, Kodiak, Kotzebue, and Petersburg are featured in the series.
“Alaska PD” premieres Jan. 1 at 10 pm Eastern Time. The series will then move to its regular time slot on Thursdays at 9 pm.
“They face numerous dangers found only in Alaska, not just from people who want to be free from the rules of society, but also from encounters with predatory animals roaming through town and sub-zero conditions that can be deadly and unrelenting,” A&E wrote. ” In a state where guns are carried as part of everyday life, officers often have to protect an entire town by themselves while enforcing laws many are unwilling to follow.”
[Read: Pirate has returned to Fairbanks,and some are concerned]
In Kodiak, a focus will be on nuisance bears, and in rural Kotzebue there is a federally declared law enforcement emergency and the U.S. Department of Justice is directing millions of dollars to bring law and order to violence-ridden villages.
While Kotzebue had a higher violent crime rate than any other Alaska community in 2018, Petersburg has a crime rate that is 1.5 times lower than the national average. But there are always Vikings to contend with.
The first episode features newcomer police officer Jamie Ramos of Virginia, who becomes Kodiak’s only female cop and quickly has her first encounter with a Kodiak brown bear. The episode also features Fairbanks Officer Gerrit Butler, a former mixed martial arts professional, who brings down a suspect who also knows a bit about martial arts.
[Watch the action-packed promotional video at this A&E link]
The show is following the successes of other Alaska-based reality series, such as “Alaska State Troopers,” which gained national popularity as a documentary series on Alaska the National Geographic Channel in 2009. “Gold Rush,” “Deadliest Catch,” “Alaska Bush People,” and “Men in Trees,” are others that have focused on the quirks and quacks encountered in Alaska.
“Alaska PD” is produced by Engel Entertainment and Noble Savages for A&E Network.
