The Alaska Marine Highway System and the state Department of Public Safety announced the renewal of a ride-along agreement for Alaska State Troopers earlier this month. The program allows troopers to ride for free on personal trips — if space allows — in exchange for law enforcement presence.
“The purpose really is to increase the presence of Alaska State Troopers on the ferry, just to provide the public with some additional safety and security,” said Shannon McCarthy, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation.
McCarthy said eligible troopers can ride along on a space-available basis, for personal travel, in exchange for assisting crew and passengers as needed.
But the troopers don’t need to be in uniform.
“They do not necessarily have to be in uniform, but of course, they do have a duty to respond should something happen,” McCarthy said. “So that would be the arrangement where we could provide them complimentary travel so that they would choose to travel on the Marine Highway System.”
McCarthy said renewing the program this year is not related to a change in criminal incidents aboard Alaska ferries. In fact, the Alaska Marine Highway System doesn’t track public safety incidents that happen on board. Those are reported to local law enforcement, depending on the type of incident and location. That could be the U.S. Coast Guard, state troopers or law enforcement at the closest port.
McCarthy cited recent federal drug trafficking arrests on a ferry in Ketchikan as a type of incident troopers could help with.
“It’s more of the case that the Marine Highway System doesn’t have a security force per se, they have the crew. And it does give both passengers and crew that extra level of security when we do have law enforcement officers on board,” McCarthy said.
Troopers can call and reserve seating under the program. Their families are not eligible.
The Alaska Marine Highway System restarted the trooper ride-along program last year after it lapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic. It first started in 2008.
