Public safety was identified as the number one priority issue in the Y-K Delta by tribal delegates at the 2016 AVCP Annual Convention.

Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) Strategic Plan

AVCP organized a strategic planning session with the State of Alaska Department of Public Safety, the Alaska State Troopers, and all VPSO grantee organizations. This state grant program allows for the operation of VPSO programs within eight tribal consortiums, one tribe, and one borough in rural Alaska.

At the time of this event, the State of Alaska VPSO Program was housed within the State of Alaska Department of Public Safety and under the administration of the Division of Alaska State Troopers (the VPSO Program has since transitioned out of the Division of Alaska State Troopers and is now directly under the State of Alaska Public Safety Commissioner.

Click here to view the Statewide VPSO Strategic Plan.

Public Safety Facilities Assessment

AVCP staff conducted site visits of 46 (of 48) communities in our region. Findings confirmed that the state of our communities’ public safety buildings vary significantly. The assessment identifies the top three to five critically necessary repairs to each public safety building. (It is by no means an exhaustive list.) Eight communities did not have a public safety facility of any kind.

Click here to view the Public Safety Facilities Assessment.

AVCP Public Safety Summit

Theme: Addressing Barriers and Identifying Solutions in the Y-K Delta

This gathering provided a forum for tribal leaders and public safety providers at the local, municipal, state, and federal levels, to guide our work in identifying and addressing public safety issues for the well-being of our communities.

Click here to view the outcomes of the Summit.

AVCP Public Safety Task Force

The AVCP Public Safety Task Force is an interdepartmental group of AVCP staff, brought together to assess all aspects of public safety in the Y-K Delta and to develop recommendations for a public safety service delivery model that fits our region.

Tribes Submit TLOA Request

43 AVCP member tribes submitted Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA) requests to the Department of Justice requesting the United States to assume federal criminal jurisdiction over Indian country in the AVCP Region.

US Attorney General William Barr Site Visit

US Attorney General Barr met with AVCP’s Public Safety Taskforce in Bethel, Alaska, before traveling to Napaskiak, Alaska, where the Napaskiak Traditional Council presented him with a Resolution to Request for a Declaration of Emergency. During his visit to Bethel, AVCP’s Public Safety Taskforce presented the AVCP Tribal Safety and Wellness Proposal: Phase One to both Attorney General Barr and Senator Murkowski.

Click here to view the AVCP Tribal Safety and Wellness Proposal: Phase One.

Department of the Interior Public Safety Listening Session

This listening session in Bethel, Alaska, offered an opportunity for tribal representative to provide testimony about the state of public safety in their communities. This session was lead by Tara Sweeney, Assistant Secretary, DOI Office of Indian Affairs; Kate MacGregor, Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. DOI; Jennifer Lichter, Deputy Director, Domestic Policy Council; as well as representatives from the offices of: Justice Services, US DOI; Alaska Region, BIA; Native American Affairs, US DHHS; Attorney General, US DOJ; Domestic Policy Council; Intergovernmental Affairs; Senator Murkowski; and Senator Sullivan.

Common themes in testimony included:

1. Non-competitive, permanent and direct funding
2. Compacting model through the Denali Commission
3. Public safety infrastructure
4. Public safety housing
5. Training for officers (at all levels)
6. Better response times from Alaska State Troopers
7. Tribal court development
8. Interdiction on drug and alcohol traffic
9. Partner agreements / roving programs for officers
10. Community-Based Solutions
11. AVCP as a demonstration site for a public safety service delivery model by compacting funding through multiple sources

Click here to view a full report of the Listening Session. 

The Department of Justice, Office of Tribal Justice holds consultation with AVCP member tribes to follow-up on TLOA requests submitted last spring.

Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice

This commission was established under Executive Order No. 13896 signed by President Trump. AVCP provided a presentation to the Working Group on Rural and Tribal Law Enforcement May 4^th and provided testimony to the full Commission on May 27^th. View our testimony here and our report here.

Click here to learn more about the Commission.