Television show appears in local man’s appeal ruling

ANCHORAGE — National Geographic’s “Alaska State Troopers” television show made a recent cameo appearance in a local man’s speeding ticket appeal.

According to a ruling handed down June 27 from the Alaska Court of Appeals, crews from the popular cable show about law enforcement in the Last Frontier were riding along with Trooper Amy Bowen when she pulled over Stephen Shortridge, of Big Lake, in February 2010.

Shortridge fought his speeding ticket in court and asked the court to order troopers to turn over names and contact information for the film crew.

A trooper captain wrote Shortridge back and gave him their names and the mailing address of the crew’s production company, PSG Films.

“The captain’s letter explained that ‘all video from that (traffic stop) are property of PSG Films and would require a written court order to obtain. We do not have access to the raw footage nor are we provided with the raw data from PSG Films,’” Judge Marjorie K. Allard wrote in the ruling.

Later in the Palmer court proceedings, Shortridge asked for more, including, according to Allard, “(1) contact information for the film crew, (2) copies of all their notes regarding this traffic stop, (3) copies of all recordings during and immediately preceding his traffic stop, (4) any background checks of the film crew, (5) copies of any correspondence between the state and the National Geographic Television Channel, (6) copies of any agreement between the state and the National Geographic Television Chanel regarding the ‘ride along’ and (7) copies of any state policies in general regarding the Alaska State Troopers’ ‘ride along’ program.”

District Court Judge John Wolfe granted access to the contact information and any notes and videos or audio recordings in the state’s possession, but denied the rest of the request.

The state provided the contact information and a notice in which “the attorney also declared that the state was not in possession of any video, audio or digital records of the PSG film crew, nor was it in possession of any of their written notes,” according to Allard’s ruling.

At trial, Shortridge moved to dismiss the case based on the fact he wasn’t given everything he asked for and was unable to reach the film crew using the information the state gave him.

Shortridge was found guilty and appealed; an appeal the court denied last week. In part, the court ruled, Shortridge failed to put forth a reasonable effort to get the videos from the production company. As for the rest of the things he sought, the court ruled he didn’t show they would in any way have helped his case.

“At trial, (District Court) Judge (David) Zwink gave Shortridge the opportunity to develop his record regarding whether the film crew’s presence or the agreement with the National Geographic Television Channel somehow prompted Trooper Bowen to make an unlawful traffic stop or to otherwise violate Shortridge’s rights. But nothing in the trial testimony suggested that the presence of the film crew, or any agreement between the State Troopers and the National Geographic Television Channel, motivated or altered Bowen’s course of conduct,” Allard wrote.

In fact, Bowen testified she knew very little, if anything, about the agreement troopers had with the television channel.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.