Frontiersman files trooper complaint

WASILLA – The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman has filed a formal complaint with the Alaska Department of Public Safety after an Alaska State Trooper seized a digital memory card from one of the paper’s reporters on Sept. 2 near Willow.

The incident took place following a report of a shooting at a residence near the Parks Highway on Wednesday morning. After hearing of the shooting,

Frontiersman reporter Brian O’Connor went to cover the event and saw several trooper vehicles parked along the highway. O’Connor approached a driveway leading to the residence, where he saw several troopers surrounding the house.

O’Connor was ordered by a trooper to return to his vehicle, but instead retreated to a location in the public right of way about 100 yards away from the scene and continued to observe troopers’ actions. O’Connor took several photographs of troopers arresting a suspect in the shooting.

After the man was arrested, O’Connor spoke with one trooper on the scene, who provided details about the arrest. O’Connor then drove away in his personal vehicle.

A short time later, Trooper Sgt. Michael Ingram pulled over O’Connor’s vehicle and demanded that O’Connor turn over either his camera or the memory card documenting the arrest, saying it was potential evidence. O’Connor offered to share the images with law enforcement, but Ingram said he had to take the card into his possession and O’Connor complied with the order.

After hearing of the seizure, Frontiersman editor Matt Tunseth and publisher Mark Kelsey contacted the Alaska Department of Public Safety to inquire about the incident. Approximately two hours after it was seized, the memory card was returned to O’Connor.

On Friday, the Frontiersman sent a formal letter of complaint to the Department of Public Safety, alleging that Sgt. Ingram had no right to seize the memory card and had violated the paper’s rights under the First and Fourth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Later that day, officials with the Department of Public Safety said they had opened an investigation into the incident.

Alaska State Trooper Col. James Cockrell said his office takes such complaints seriously. In an interview on Friday, Cockrell assured the Frontiersman that the incident will be handled promptly by the Office of Professional Standards, which reports directly to the commissioner of the Department of Public Safety.

“It is not our intent to hamper your ability to cover the news,” Cockrell said.

Cockrell said he doesn’t know how long the investigation will take to complete.