October 6, 2014 Press Release
Independent, non-partisan candidate for governor Bill Walker joined law enforcement and public safety professionals today to formally accept their endorsement of his bid for the state’s top job. Representatives of the Alaska State Troopers, local firefighters from around the state, corrections officers, municipal police officers and police supervisors, law enforcement support staff, and Anchorage Police Department employees offered their support to the Bill Walker/Byron Mallott team at the campaign’s headquarters in Anchorage.
“Our first responders are genuine heroes,” Walker said. “Public safety professionals are the lifeblood of Alaska communities, and it’s humbling to receive their support. Byron and I will work hard as governor and lieutenant governor to earn the continued confidence of these vital public servants and make sure they have the tools to fully protect their communities.”
The groups endorsing Walker/Mallott include:
- Public Safety Employees Association (Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Fish and Wildlife Protection Troopers, municipal police in Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Fairbanks, Soldotna, Dillingham and Unalaska, airport police and fire officers, court service officers, and deputy fire marshals)
- Alaska Correctional Officers Association (correctional officers)
- Alaska Professional Fire Fighters Association (firefighters, fire chiefs, dispatchers, EMTs, paramedics, and other emergency response professionals)
- Anchorage Police Department Employees Association (police officers and support staff)
- Alaska State Employees Association (employees of the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Corrections)
- Alaska Public Employees Association/Alaska Federation of Teachers (Trooper supervisors, city and borough police supervisors, teachers, university full-time faculty, paraprofessionals, adjunct faculty, and crafts and trades employees.
“It’s rare, maybe unprecedented, for virtually Alaska’s entire public safety community to rally behind a single gubernatorial candidate,” Anchorage Police Department Employees Association president Derek Hsieh said. “We appreciate the Walker/Mallott team’s ideals of cooperative, transparent government, and dedication to the greater public good. They’ll always put Alaskans first.”
“Under the Parnell administration, Alaska’s public safety and criminal justice systems are fundamentally on the wrong track,” PSEA Executive director Jake Metcalfe said. “PSEA is deeply concerned about Trooper staffing and the Parnell administration’s continued outsourcing of police jobs to non-certified employees. All Alaskans, especially victims of crimes, deserve equal justice. Bill Walker and Byron Mallott will get public safety and the criminal justice system back on track. ”
“Our Officers are seeing more and more serious incidents due in part to staffing shortages,” ACOA president Sergeant Randy McLellan said. “We’re facing more inmate assaults on Officers, inmate-on-inmate violence, and inmate deaths. We need a change in leadership if the State of Alaska is ever going to get a handle on this.”
“The present administration is remarkably disconnected from real Alaskans and their day-to-day realities,” Walker said. “When I’m governor, Byron and I will meet face-to-face on a regular basis with Alaska’s law enforcement and public safety professionals to make sure our actions are having the appropriate effects not just at the policy level, but where it really counts – in our homes and in our communities. Working together, we can make that happen.”
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This NOTICE TO VOTERS is required by Alaska law. We certify that this advertisement is not authorized, paid for, or approved by the candidate.
This communication was paid for by Alaska Correctional Officers Association Political Action Committee at 203 E. 5thAvenue in Anchorage, AK 99501. The Principle Officer is Brad Wilson. I, Brad Wilson, ACOA Business Manager, approve this message. The top three contributors are Randall McLellan in Wasilla, Adam Lust in Nome, and Robert Redlinger in Anchorage.