ALSO, CURRENT TROOPER DIVISION DIRECTOR QUITS WALKER ADMINISTRATION?
The Mike Dunleavy for Governor campaign picked up the endorsement of former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Joe Masters today.
The endorsement was announced via Facebook. Masters, who is Inupiaq, retired in 2013 from the department and works in the private sector.
Meanwhile, Col. Hans Brinke, current director of the Alaska State Troopers at DPS for the past 18 months, has reportedly stepped down, effective Oct. 2.
That announcement was made in an internal memo from Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.
There has no official announcement of Brinke’s retirement. The memo was passed along to Must Read Alaska.
Brinke was part of the 41st recruiting class at the State’s law enforcement academy in Sitka, and he rose through the ranks, working in patrol both in rural and urban settings. He also was a K-9 handler and drug investigator, then became captain in Anchorage.
Brinke replaced Col. Jim Cockrell, who had headed the Troopers in 2014.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
LOGO BLOWBACK?
In August, the State Troopers’ recruiting division unveiled a new logo and motto, paying an advertising agency to rebrand the agency in an effort to improve recruiting. That logo is now prominent on the Trooper’s Facebook page and on a couple of recruiting vehicles.
A group of retired troopers wrote letters to the governor and protested the new motto and logo. Over 200 retired troopers signed the letters. The new logo made the news, as it was unveiled at the Alaska Sate Fair.
Then, a retired Trooper sent his meritorious and courage awards back to Commissioner Walt Monegan, saying the medals were not worth anything anymore, if the Troopers no longer stood for “Loyalty, Integrity, Courage,” the former motto.
It’s unclear how extensive the use of the new logo and the new “Guardians of the 49th” motto was going to be. The goals may have only been limited to recruiting purposes, but was announced as the outward face of the department and was widely panned in the law enforcement community.
The Troopers have 389 sworn officers and many vacancies.