The union that represents Alaska’s public safety employees is criticizing comments made last week by the Department of Public Safety commissioner about two Soldotna-based troopers facing assault charges for alleged unreasonable use of force.
The Alaska Public Safety Employees Association said the comments, made by Commissioner James Cockrell, violate the troopers’ constitutional rights to due process.
In a press release, the association said Cockrell “pronounced the guilt of these two troopers in a press conference without hearing the troopers’ side of the story and without any regard for the troopers’ constitutional right to due process and a fair and impartial trial.”
Joseph Miller and Jason Woodruff, who’ve both been troopers for more than a decade, each face one charge of misdemeanor assault stemming from a violent arrest in May of the wrong person in Kenai.
Charging documents allege Miller and Woodruff used unreasonable force when they beat and had a police dog maul 38-year-old Ben Tikka. Miller and Woodruff said they thought they were arresting Ben’s cousin, Garrett, who had an outstanding warrant for failing to show up for a 10-day jail sentence for driving with a revoked license.
Miller and Woodruff’s use of force was investigated by the Office of Special Prosecutions. That office wrote in charging documents that body camera footage worn by another officer shows Miller stepping on Tikka’s head and tasing him multiple times as he starts to comply with trooper demands. OSP says Woodruff deployed a police dog on Tikka, which bit him multiple times.
After the arrest, charging documents say Tikka underwent surgery for injuries caused by Miller and Woodruff. Charging documents say he suffered a fractured scapula, a dog bite on his arm and lacerations on his arm and head. Still images from body camera footage show Tikka bleeding from the head after his face was pushed into the ground, which was covered in broken glass.
The day after Miller and Woodruff were charged, Cockrell condemned their actions during a press conference.
“Personally, when I reviewed this video, I was totally sickened by what I saw,” he said. “Two Alaska State Troopers that represent this uniform, represent this state, conducted themselves in this way. … I’ve been with this department 33 years, and I’ve never seen any action like this before by an Alaska State Trooper. … Let me be clear, the actions of these two individuals is not acceptable to me, not in the line of our training and our policy and I know it’s not acceptable to the Alaskans that we serve.”
In response to the statement issued by the union, trooper spokesperson Austin McDaniel said the Department of Public Safety has a “duty to be transparent and open” with residents.
“We stand by the decision to host a press conference in Anchorage to answer questions from Alaskans and the media on the incident that occurred in Kenai,” McDaniel said. “We will continue to ensure that the rights of any defendant, suspect, witness, or victim in a crime that we investigate are honored and protected as required by law.”
The Alaska Department of Law said last week that it would not be releasing the body camera footage because it is evidence in an ongoing criminal investigation. KDLL’s public records request for that footage was officially denied Thursday. Woodruff’s lawyer declined to comment. The troopers’ union did not respond to requests for comment by air time Thursday.
Miller and Woodruff are scheduled to be arraigned at the Kenai Courthouse next month.
