Troopers’ union condemns commissioner comments on violent Kenai arrest

1 month ago

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The national that represents Alaska’s nationalist information labor is criticizing comments made past week by nan Department of Public Safety commissioner astir 2 Soldotna-based troopers facing battle charges for alleged unreasonable usage of force.

The Alaska Public Safety Employees Association said nan comments, made by Commissioner James Cockrell, break nan troopers’ law authorities to owed process.

In a property release, nan relation said Cockrell “pronounced nan guilt of these 2 troopers successful a property convention without proceeding nan troopers’ broadside of nan communicative and without immoderate respect for nan troopers’ law correct to owed process and a adjacent and impartial trial.”

Joseph Miller and Jason Woodruff, who’ve some been troopers for much than a decade, each look 1 complaint of misdemeanor battle stemming from a convulsive apprehension successful May of nan incorrect personification successful Kenai.

Charging documents allege Miller and Woodruff utilized unreasonable unit erstwhile they hit and had a constabulary canine maul 38-year-old Ben Tikka. Miller and Woodruff said they thought they were arresting Ben’s cousin, Garrett, who had an outstanding warrant for failing to show up for a 10-day jailhouse condemnation for driving pinch a revoked license.

Miller and Woodruff’s usage of unit was investigated by nan Office of Special Prosecutions. That agency wrote successful charging documents that assemblage camera footage worn by different serviceman shows Miller stepping connected Tikka’s caput and tasing him aggregate times arsenic he starts to comply pinch trooper demands. OSP says Woodruff deployed a constabulary canine connected Tikka, which spot him aggregate times.

After nan arrest, charging documents opportunity Tikka underwent room for injuries caused by Miller and Woodruff. Charging documents opportunity he suffered a fractured scapula, a canine wound connected his limb and lacerations connected his limb and head. Still images from assemblage camera footage show Tikka bleeding from nan caput aft his look was pushed into nan ground, which was covered successful surgery glass.

The time aft Miller and Woodruff were charged, Cockrell condemned their actions during a property conference.

“Personally, erstwhile I reviewed this video, I was wholly sickened by what I saw,” he said. “Two Alaska State Troopers that correspond this uniform, correspond this state, conducted themselves successful this way. … I’ve been pinch this section 33 years, and I’ve ne'er seen immoderate action for illustration this earlier by an Alaska State Trooper. … Let maine beryllium clear, nan actions of these 2 individuals is not acceptable to me, not successful nan statement of our training and our argumentation and I cognize it’s not acceptable to nan Alaskans that we serve.”

In consequence to nan connection issued by nan union, trooper spokesperson Austin McDaniel said nan Department of Public Safety has a “duty to beryllium transparent and open” pinch residents.

“We guidelines by nan determination to big a property convention successful Anchorage to reply questions from Alaskans and nan media connected nan incident that occurred successful Kenai,” McDaniel said. “We will proceed to guarantee that nan authorities of immoderate defendant, suspect, witness, aliases unfortunate successful a crime that we analyse are honored and protected arsenic required by law.”

The Alaska Department of Law said past week that it would not beryllium releasing nan assemblage camera footage because it is grounds successful an ongoing criminal investigation. KDLL’s nationalist records petition for that footage was officially denied Thursday. Woodruff’s lawyer declined to comment. The troopers’ national did not respond to requests for remark by aerial clip Thursday.

Miller and Woodruff are scheduled to beryllium arraigned astatine nan Kenai Courthouse adjacent month.

Source Alaska Public