Northwest Arctic Borough Police Records

Police records in the Northwest Arctic Borough are held primarily by the Alaska State Troopers, which cover the borough through posts in Kotzebue and Selawik. Kotzebue is the borough seat and home to the main DPS office in the region. The borough includes communities like Noorvik, Selawik, Kiana, Noatak, Ambler, and Shungnak, most of which rely on VPSO programs and tribal police for day-to-day public safety. State tools for criminal history, court records, and sex offender searches are available online for anyone needing records from this part of northwest Alaska.

Alaska State Troopers Kotzebue Post

The Alaska State Troopers Kotzebue Post is the main law enforcement contact for the Northwest Arctic Borough. The post is located at 3320 Third Avenue, Kotzebue AK 99752, and can be reached at (907) 442-3222. This post handles incidents across the borough and coordinates VPSO coverage for villages outside Kotzebue. It is the right office to contact for incident reports tied to any trooper response in the borough.

Kotzebue is a community of about 3,000 people and the largest in the borough. The city has its own local government but relies on the Alaska State Troopers for law enforcement rather than a separate city police department. For incidents that happened in Kotzebue or elsewhere in the borough, AST Kotzebue is the agency to contact. Submit records requests in writing with the incident date, location, and any report number you have. Staff will process requests under the Alaska Public Records Act with a 10-working-day response window.

The post falls under Detachment D, which covers Interior and Western Alaska. The Detachment D headquarters is in Fairbanks at 1979 Peger Rd, with Commander Captain Ron Wall reachable at (907) 451-5100. For escalated issues or requests that the post level has not resolved, the detachment office is the next step. The AST contacts page has current information for all trooper posts including Kotzebue.

Selawik AST Post and Village Coverage

The Selawik AST Post covers communities in the eastern part of the borough, including Selawik and nearby villages. The post can be reached at (907) 484-1926. Selawik is a community on the Selawik River with its own village tribal government, and the AST post there handles trooper coverage for the area. For incidents in that part of the borough, the Selawik Post may hold the relevant records rather than the Kotzebue Post.

Other communities in the Northwest Arctic Borough include Noorvik, Kiana, Noatak, Ambler, and Shungnak. Each of these is a small village community served by VPSO programs and tribal police working alongside AST. The Kotzebue Post coordinates trooper coverage for all of these communities, flying in when cases require a sworn trooper presence. Records from those incidents may be held at either the Kotzebue or Selawik Post depending on who responded.

Tribal police play a role in some Northwest Arctic Borough communities. Tribal public safety programs operate alongside state and VPSO coverage and have their own structures for records. For incidents handled by tribal police, contact the relevant tribal government directly. AST can also help you identify which tribal office to contact for a specific village if you are not sure where to start.

VPSO and Tribal Police Programs

Most villages in the Northwest Arctic Borough rely on Village Public Safety Officers and tribal police programs for day-to-day public safety. VPSO programs are state-funded and managed through regional nonprofits, with VPSOs supervised by Alaska State Troopers. They handle first response for many incident types and coordinate with AST when situations require a higher level of response, such as serious crimes or complex investigations.

Tribal police in the Northwest Arctic Borough operate under tribal sovereignty and handle matters within their communities. They work alongside VPSO and AST coverage and have their own records for incidents handled at the tribal level. The scope of tribal police authority varies by community, so what records are held and how to access them can differ from village to village.

For police records from a village incident in the Northwest Arctic Borough, start with the Kotzebue AST Post at (907) 442-3222. Staff can tell you whether AST holds the relevant record, or whether the incident stayed at the VPSO or tribal police level and needs to be requested from a different office. This is the most efficient first step, especially if you do not know which agency handled the specific incident you are researching.

Alaska Public Records Act Requests

The Alaska Public Records Act (AS 40.25.100-295) governs how records are requested from government agencies in Alaska. It applies to the Alaska State Troopers and to borough government offices in the Northwest Arctic Borough. Under AS 40.25.110, public records must be open for inspection during regular office hours. Anyone can request records. You do not need a reason and you do not need to live in Alaska.

Write your request clearly. State the agency name, describe the records, and provide dates, locations, and any case or incident numbers. Submit by mail, in person, email, or fax depending on what the agency accepts. Agencies have 10 working days to respond. If they need more time, they must notify you in writing and give a reason. Exemptions under AS 40.25.120 cover active investigation files and records where release could harm an ongoing case. If records are denied, the agency must cite the specific exemption.

You have 60 working days to appeal a denial to the agency head. Judicial review is available under AS 40.25.125 if the appeal does not resolve the issue. Fees for copies are determined by the agency but must be reasonable. For a short incident report, fees are usually small. Larger document requests may involve a cost estimate before work begins.

Criminal History Records for Northwest Arctic Borough

Alaska criminal history records are held by the Department of Public Safety at the state level. The self-service online portal lets you request your own record for $20. You need a Social Security number and a valid Alaska driver's license or state ID to submit the online form. Results come back by email after processing.

The DPS online portal is the quickest way to request a criminal history check from anywhere in the Northwest Arctic Borough:

Submit a name-based or fingerprint-based criminal history request at backgroundcheck.dps.alaska.gov.

Walk-in fingerprint services are available at the DPS Kotzebue office at 3320 Third Avenue, Kotzebue AK 99752, phone (907) 442-3222. This is the most accessible in-person option for Northwest Arctic Borough residents. For those in more remote communities, the online portal or mail-in process is usually more practical. Mail requests go to DPS Criminal Records and ID Bureau, 5700 E Tudor Rd, Anchorage AK 99507. Call (907) 269-5767 with questions. The governing statutes are AS 12.62.110-120 and AS 12.62.160-170.

Sex Offender Registry and Court Records

The Alaska Sex Offender Registry is free to search by name, address, zip code, city, or registration status. The database has over 3,640 entries statewide and includes anyone required to register under AS 12.63.100 with an address in the Northwest Arctic Borough. HB 66, signed July 2024, added passport numbers and international travel reporting to registration requirements. Registration must happen by the next working day after conviction. The registry is updated as new registrations come in.

The sex offender registry at sor.dps.alaska.gov is a key public safety tool for checking registrant status in the Northwest Arctic Borough:

Search the Alaska Sex Offender Registry by name or location to find registered offenders with ties to the Northwest Arctic Borough.

Court cases from the Northwest Arctic Borough are searchable through the Alaska Court System's free CourtView tool. Search by name or case number. No account or fee is needed. CourtView shows case-level information but not the actual filings. For document copies, contact the clerk of court where the case was filed. The trial courts page lists all courthouse locations with contact details. Copy fees run $5 for the first page and $3 per additional page. Certified copies cost $10 plus $3 per page.

Under AS 22.35.030, cases that ended in dismissal or acquittal are removed from CourtView 60 days after closing. A blank result in CourtView does not always mean no case was filed.

Daily Dispatch and Corrections Records

The AST Daily Dispatch publishes trooper incident summaries across the state, searchable by date range or incident number. You can use it to see what troopers logged in the Northwest Arctic Borough on a given date. This is not a comprehensive police records database, but it gives a quick look at AST activity before you make a formal records request. It covers AST responses only and does not include incidents handled by tribal police or VPSO programs alone.

For records related to someone held in an Alaska correctional facility, contact the Alaska Department of Corrections Records office at (907) 465-3485. Mail requests to P.O. Box 112000, Juneau AK 99811-2000. The DOC records page explains what is available and how the request process works. DOC records cover all Alaska state facilities statewide.

Cities in Northwest Arctic Borough

No incorporated cities in the Northwest Arctic Borough meet the population threshold for a dedicated page. Alaska State Troopers serve this area along with VPSO programs and tribal police in many communities. Kotzebue is the largest community and borough seat but does not reach the threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Records for Kotzebue and other borough communities can be requested through the AST posts listed above.

Nearby Boroughs

These neighboring boroughs and census areas also process police records through the Alaska Public Records Act.