Q&A with AST Lieutenant Daron Cooper discussing new role as Deputy Commander

WASILLA — Alaska State Trooper Lieutenant Daron Cooper recently participated in a question and answer interview to discuss his new position as the Deputy Commander of the B Detachment and his experience serving in the Mat-Su Valley for nearly 15 years.

Q: What does your new position entail?

“Whether that’s dealing with the patrol troopers and some of the issues that they’re facing and dealing with some of our partner agencies such as the Mat-Su Borough School District, Wasilla PD, Palmer PD, DOC, the district attorney’s office, things like that. My job is really focusing on the overall operational management of the State Troopers here in the Mat-Su.”

Q: How do you feel about getting the position?“

It’s an interesting look from this lens. I’ve worked out here primarily for the majority of my career… It’s humbling. It can be a little bit intimidating because there’s a lot of factors that go into the success of what we do, but overall, I’m excited to be in the position. I think I bring a lot to the position. I’m optimistically hopeful going forward.”

Q: What drew you to join the Troopers in the first place?

“I really liked the idea of being able to do things at a statewide level. Before that, I was in the military. I was in the United States Coastguard… I got stationed in Alaska. I essentially fell in love with the state.”

Q: What led you to pursue a life in the military and law enforcement?

“As a teenager, I did a couple of internships with local police departments in the Salt Lake region… From there, going into the military, I was looking at how I could best pad my skills to make me a more colorful applicant… I went into the Coastguard specifically because they have a very large law enforcement mission. So, they’re out doing boardings. They’re out doing drug interdiction. They’re out doing anti-terrorism, that type of stuff… Ultimately my goal was always to be a police officer.”

Q: Growing up, what inspired you to want to become a police officer?

“I grew up in foster care, bouncing around from home to home up until I was adopted at the age of 16… Within my realm of being in the foster care system in Vegas, I ran into police quite often, whether that was through my own doing or just through the system overall,” he said with a laugh. “Lots of police contact happened, and I never had a negative view of the police. I always thought that it was a cool job… I wanted to lock something in sooner rather than later. It also helped me with my focus in general. I just had some good contacts with police down there that led me to believe that type of career field would something that I like.”

Q: Were there any officers that you met growing up that gave you a lasting influence?

“Yes, there was a community-oriented policing team out of Salt Lake City who really took me under their wing when I was in the internship program there and allowed me to flourish… That mentorship got me from point A to point B. I don’t necessarily think without that type of guidance I would have been as successful as I am now in the policing world.”

Q: What big lessons from your mentors did you carry over and still use to this day?

“Policing is obviously dealing with people… I got to see back then what I definitely put out now. Policing is obviously a personal matter. People call us when they’re not having a good day… So being personable and reasonable with people, and kind of putting yourself in their shoes and empathizing with them goes a long, long way of solving some of these issues… I’ve gotten way further with my mouth than I ever have with any of the tools on my belt.”

Q: What’s been some of your favorite things about being a part of the Troopers across various capacities over the years?

“One of my favorite things is really just being out in the community, getting to see different walks of life and getting to see life through others’ lenses… This gives me an intimate look into the community and some of the issues that we face and some of the successes we’ve made as well… I worked nights for almost 10 years, and I’d stay up during the nights to make sure that everyone’s safe and things are taken care of.”

Q: What are some of the things you learned out in the field?

“Always go with the people first… Everyone wants to be treated with respect. Whether you’re getting a citation or a warrant, it’s all the same: respect, respect, respect.”

Q: What are some uniquely Alaskan stories from your career?

“I’ve been all over the state. I was a canine handler for several years. There was a time when I had to hop on a snowmachine and have my canine in my arms while someone else was driving the snowmachine. I did that for about a 30 a mile jump down the river there [Yukon Delta]. I assure you, that no other place would have this experience… Getting flown into remote places on small aircraft. Once you get there, it’s kind of like, ‘hey, you’re on your own. I hope you brought enough stuff.’ That was truly, uniquely Alaskan.”

Q: What about the Troopers and their mission do you appreciate the most?

“Just finding ways to handle things that are not necessarily typical of your everyday law enforcement officer. That’s something that I’ve really, really enjoyed about being the Troopers and the people that I work with… Particularly here in the Mat-Su, that’s been a huge blessing, having that community support. I tell you what, this job can be arduous. It can be a grind. If we didn’t have that community support, I think it’d be that much more taxing on us overall.”

Q: What are some of your goals moving forward?

“We’ve got to look at some of our staffing issues here in the Mat-Su. From a statewide perspective, we’re down over 50 positions within Alaska. That in itself weighs heavily on the Troopers who are working on the road today… I’m looking at ways that will effectively recruit and retain the people that we hire… Another huge goal is to look at our law enforcement here in the Valley and see if we could do a better job, not that we’re doing a bad job. I’d just like to leave things in a better condition than when I found it.”

For more information about the Alaska State Troopers, visit dps.alaska.gov/AST.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com