Alaska Bureau of Investigation
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation (ABI) is responsible for coordinating and conducting major criminal investigations within Alaska State Troopers jurisdiction. This includes homicides, sexual assaults, sexual abuse of minors, human and sex trafficking, fraud, forgery, and computer and internet crimes. The mission of ABI focuses also on developing the investigative skills of personnel within the Department of Public Safety and building collaborative relationships with other law enforcement agencies. ABI members also receive training and serve as polygraph examiners. ABI also staffs and manages the missing persons clearinghouse responsible for tracking all reported missing persons cases within Alaska.
ABI is divided into a variety of specialized units located in Anchorage, Mat-Su, Fairbanks, Soldotna, and throughout Western Alaska. While units are distributed across the state and have regional responsibilities, ABI resources are integrated because many of the different types of crimes that rise to the level of involving ABI are often interconnected. Regardless of where a primary duty station is for an investigator, they deploy anywhere in the state to investigate serious crimes. This approach takes advantage of individual or unit expertise to enhance investigations anywhere the need arises. These units are:
In addition to conducting investigative operations, the ABI does a host of auxiliary services to include:
- Provide individuals trained to serve as crisis negotiators
- Provide personnel to staff the Special Emergency Reaction Teams (SERT)
- Coordinate the availability of polygraph examiners to assist troopers and other Alaska law enforcement agencies in conducting criminal and pre-employment polygraph examinations for DPS applicants
- Provide statewide support with major investigations, follow-up interviews and autopsies performed in Anchorage at the State Medical Examiner's Office
- Provide certified instructors for crime scene investigations, motor vehicle crash investigations, interviews and interrogations, computer forensics and electronic evidence training and a variety of other training subjects such as SART and domestic violence
- Represent the department on a variety of working groups and task forces to include human trafficking, Internet Crimes Against Children, Child Justice Act Task Force, Sexual Assault Response Team and the U.S. Attorney's Office Financial Crimes Task Force