Troopers at ‘critical’ staffing level as state budget talks continue, says director

As lawmakers in Juneau are deciding where to make cuts in this year’s budget, the director of the Alaska State Troopers (AST) says he’s holding his breath.
“These reductions have pushed us right to an edge of a cliff, and it wouldn’t take much to push us over. We’re that critical right now when it comes to the amount of resources we have,” said AST Col. Jim Cockrell.
He says AST is down 32 positions after seeing more than $10 million in cuts over the last