Folger named commissioner of Department Public Safety

WASILLA — Gov. Sean Parnell has named Colonel Gary Folger, 55, of Wasilla as commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Folger replaces Joe Masters, who resigned in October 2013.

“Colonel Folger is a dedicated, respectful leader with a broad perspective of the Department of Public Safety operations,” Governor Parnell said. “He has the professionalism and skill to lead the department forward as they work to serve and protect Alaskans.”

An Athabascan born in Anchorage, Folger is a retired colonel with the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Folger began his law enforcement career in 1979 as a fish and wildlife aide with the Division of Fish and Wildlife Protection in Cantwell. After graduating from the Public Safety Academy in 1981, he served as a state trooper in Fairbanks.

In 1991, he was transferred to King Salmon, and was promoted in 1995 to the rank of corporal, and then to the rank of sergeant in 1997.

Folger was promoted to lieutenant in 1998 and transferred to Juneau to become the “A” Detachment commander for FWP before transferring to Fairbanks as the detachment commander. In March 2007, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and oversaw the Division of Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Folger was also a pilot and boat operator while serving with the Department of Public Safety. He retired from the department in May 2013.

Folger maintains homes in both Wasilla and Cantwell with his wife, Patty. They have three grown children.