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POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICER BIOGRAPHIES
 Chief
John Lucking, Jr.
Chief John Lucking was hired by the Soldotna Police Department
as Chief of Police in September 2003. He was born and
raised in the state of Alaska. He spent his formative years in
and around
Fairbanks and then
Anchorage where he went to high school and
college. In January 1985 Chief Lucking attended the
Alaska Law Enforcement Training Academy in Sitka,
Alaska and afterwards went to work as a police officer with the
Unalaska Department of Public Safety. He
subsequently served that department as an Investigator,
Sergeant, Lieutenant and Chief of Police. In 1990 he attended
Northwestern University's Police Ad ministration Course,
and in 2001 he attended the
FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He
currently holds a degree in Criminal Justice and Electronic
Technologies from the
University of Alaska, Fairbanks as well as an
Advanced and Instructor certificate with the
Alaska Police Standards Council.
Chief Lucking has served on several boards
and commissions and was the founder and long-term president of
the Aleutian Islands Chapter of the
Alaska Peace Officers Association. He is also
active in organizations that include the
Department of Justice National Law Enforcement and
Corrections Technology Advisory Council N.W., the
International Association of Chiefs of Police, the
Alaska Association of Chiefs of Police, the
Alaska Peace Officers Association and the
FBI National Academy Associates.
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 Sergeant
Robb M. Quelland
Sergeant Robb Quelland was hired by the Soldotna Police
Department in February 1992 and was promoted to the rank of
Sergeant in the fall of 1998. He is currently assigned to the
Patrol Division after serving almost two years as Sergeant in
charge of detectives. Sgt. Quelland has worked in the states of
Wisconsin and
Texas as a police officer. He served in the
United States Air Force and participated in
Operation Desert Storm in
Saudi Arabia. Sgt. Quelland has an AA Degree from
the Community
College of the Air Force and a BA Degree from the
University of St. John's.
Sgt. Quelland attended the
FBI National Academy (Session #211) in Quantico
Virginia in the fall of 2002 and holds an Advanced Police
Certificate with the
Alaska Police Standards Council and is a Certified
Police Instructor in the
State of Alaska. Sergeant Quelland was also awarded
a “Commendation for Valor” for his actions during a shooting
incident at the Central
Peninsula Hospital , and was the Department's 2009
Officer of the Year. |
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 Sergeant
Duane Kant
Sergeant Duane Kant was hired as a Soldotna Police Officer in
February 1992. Since that time, he has also
served as a Patrol Officer and a Detective. He was promoted to
Sergeant in November of 2006. Sergeant Kant attended the
State of Alaska Law Enforcement Training Academy
in Sitka in 1993. Sergeant Kant is a Certified Field Training
Officer; DARE
Officer, and Radar Instructor for the Department. He is a
US Army Veteran, having been stationed at Fort
Richardson, Alaska from 1989-1992, and serving as an Engineer
officer. Sergeant Kant is a graduate of the
University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a 2010
graduate of the 240th session of the
FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
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 Sergeant
Stace Escott
Sergeant Stace Escott began working for the Soldotna Police
Department in August 2000. He attended the 24 th session
of the
Alaska Law Enforcement Training Academy in Sitka
Alaska. Sgt. Escott served as a Patrol Officer and
Certified Field Training Officer before leaving the department
in October 2005.
He then moved to Amelia Island Florida and worked as a
Director of Facility Services for Senior Living Communities
where he received the “Director of the Year” award in 2007
among 78 directors. Sgt. Escott was rehired by the
Soldotna Police Department in June 2010. He is a graduate
of BYU Idaho
and Weber State
University where he studied Criminal Justice.
While attending college he also served two internships for the
Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department.
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 Officer
Marvin Towell
Officer Marvin Towell began his employment with
the City of Soldotna on September 28, 1998. He
supervised the Patrol Division until March 3, 2000,
when he was transferred to Administrative Services.
Prior to coming to Soldotna, all of Officer Towell's
police experience (not including military police)
was in the
State of Arizona. He started in 1975 in
Pinal County Sheriff's Office as a
Deputy Sheriff, patrolling the desert! After 2
years, he was hired by
Coolidge City Police Department. He was
promoted to Sergeant after 2 years. After 3 years at
Coolidge PD, he relocated to Willcox, AZ and was
hired by
Willcox PD as a Patrol Officer.
In 1983 he was promoted to Sergeant and in 1987
he was promoted to Lieutenant. In 1989 he was hired
by Parker Police Department as their Chief of
Police. In 1996 he was hired by
LaPaz County Sheriff's Office as their
Emergency Services Director and Environmental Crimes
Enforcement Officer. Officer Towell is a graduate of
the 181st Session of the
FBI National Academy (1995) and is a
current member of the
FBI National Academy Associates ,
Alaska Chapter. He is a former member of the
IACP and
Arizona Chiefs of Police Association.
In 1985, he graduated from
Cochise College at Douglas, Arizona
majoring in Criminal Justice. In December
2002, Officer Towell received his Bachelor's in
Criminal Justice from
Almeda College and University in Boise
, Idaho. Officer Towell is currently assigned to the
Soldotna Patrol Division.
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 Officer
Tobin Brennan
Officer Tobin Brennan began working for the Soldotna
Police Department in June 2000. He was born and
raised in Anchorage. He attended college at
the University
of Alaska, Fairbanks where he earned a
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice.
During his time at UAF Officer Brennan worked as an
intern for the North Slope Borough Department of
Public Safety. He attended the 21 st session
of the
State of Alaska Law Enforcement Training Academy
located in Sitka Alaska.
After graduating the police academy Officer Brennan
worked for the Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit
before joining the Soldotna Police Department.
Officer Brennan started as a patrol officer and then
was assigned to the Alaska Bureau of Alcohol and
Drug Enforcement from October of 2002 to January or
2005. During that time he attended the Drug
Enforcement Agency's Investigator course, the
Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement School and
numerous other training courses. Officer Brennan is
a Standardized Field Sobriety Test and Datamaster
instructor. He is also the Breath Alcohol
Program Supervisor for the Soldotna Police
Department. Officer Brennan holds an Advanced Police
Certificate with the
Alaska Police Standards Council , and
is a Certified Police Instructor. He is a
member of the
Alaska Peace Officers Association and
formally served as a Kenai Chapter Board member.
Officer Brennan was 2009 recipient of the Department's Community Service Award and is currently assigned to the Patrol Division. Officer Brennan also serves as a Field Training Officer and a Department's Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Officer.
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 Officer
Mark Berestoff
Officer Mark Berestoff came to the Soldotna Police
Department from
Wisconsin in August 2000. Officer
Berestoff received his Associate of Arts degree in
Criminal Justice from
Western Technical College in
LaCrosse Wisconsin and his Bachelor of
Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration from
Mountain State University in Beckley West
Virginia. Officer Berestoff attended the 58th session of
the
Wisconsin State Police Academy. After
completing his academy training, Officer Berestoff began
his Law Enforcement career with the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
as the Superintendent of
Mill Bluff State Park and as a
Conservation Warden.
During this time, he also worked as a
Patrol Officer for the cities of Stoddard and Necedah
Police Departments. He worked as a part-time Dispatcher
for the
City of Tomah, Wisconsin and also as a
Deputy Sheriff for the
Juneau County Sheriff's Department. After
two years, Officer Berestoff assumed the Chief of Police
position for the Camp Douglas Police Department. Officer
Berestoff held this position until relocating to Alaska.
Officer Berestoff attended the re-certification program
at the
Alaska Police Training Academy in Sitka
Alaska in January 2001. He is currently certified as a
Firearms Instructor and a Glock Armorer. Officer
Berestoff has served as a drug investigator for the
Western Alaska Alcohol Narcotics Team. Officer Berestoff
is currently assigned to the Patrol Division as a patrol
officer and serves as the Community Services
Coordinator. |
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 Officer
David Bower
Officer David Bower came to the Soldotna Police
Department from
Libby, Montana in March 2004. He lived in
Alaska in his youth and always wanted to return.
Officer Bower began his Law Enforcement career as a
reserve deputy for the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office
in 1996. He was hired by the
Libby Police Department as a patrolman in
1998, and attended the 107th Session of the
Montana Law Enforcement Academy.
In Libby, Officer Bower received the
following department commendations: Unit Citation,
Combat Action, and Meritorious Unit Commendation for his
distinguished involvement as an initial officer against
an armed adversary in the Wolf Creek Shootout;
Distinguished Volunteer Service Cross; and Good Conduct.
Officer Bower attended the re-certification program at
the
Department of Public Safety Academy in
Sitka , Alaska in January 2005. Officer Bower is
currently assigned to the Patrol Division for the
Soldotna Police Department. |
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 Officer
Aaron Renken
Officer Renken moved to the Kenai Peninsula in
1989, shortly after receiving an Associate of
Applied Science degree in Flight Technology from
Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon.
After some commercial fishing and working in general
construction, he attended the 7th session of the
State of Alaska's Law Enforcement Academy Training
program located in Sitka , Alaska. There,
Officer Renken received a Certificate of Study in
Law Enforcement from the University of Alaska
Southeast.
Officer Renken spent 14 years working for the
Unalaska Department of Public Safety.
He left that Department in November 2005 after
achieving the position of Patrol Sergeant, to join
the force in Soldotna. Officer Renken has an
Advanced Police Officer Certificate from the
Alaska Police Standards Council , is a
Certified Police Instructor, and is also certified
to teach the
DARE program. He currently is
assigned to the Patrol Division of the Soldotna
Police Department.
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 Officer
Victor Dillon
Officer Victor Dillon was hired by the Soldotna Police
Department in February 2007. Officer Dillon worked for
the State of Alaska ,
Department of Corrections in Seward, for
three and a half years. He worked the Maximum
Segregation unit, and was an assistant Tactical Response
Team leader, along with being a Prisoner Transportation
Officer.
Officer Dillon graduated the
State of Alaska's Law Enforcement Academy Training
#37 in June 2007. In December of 2008, Officer Dillon
was awarded a Commendation for Exemplary Performance for
his actions during a shooting incident at the Central
Peninsula Hospital and is currently assigned to the
Patrol Division of the Soldotna Police Department. |
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 Officer
Rory Espy
Officer Espy began his career in law enforcement as an
Explorer with the
Alaska Peace Officer Association,
Explorer Post #460, while attending high school in
Kenai, Alaska. After spending several years with the
volunteer post, Officer Espy went on to work as a
Seasonal Officer for the
Kenai Police Department, assisting with management of the
Kenai River Dipnet Fishery.
In November, 2005, Officer Espy accepted a position as
Correctional Officer for the State of Alaska,
Department
of Corrections, at Spring Creek Correctional Center.
While serving at Spring Creek, Officer Espy advanced to
Prisoner Transportation as well as served on the
Tactical Response Team. In January, 2008, Officer Espy
was hired by the Soldotna Police Department, graduating
from
State of Alaska's Law Enforcement Academy Training
#39, as
valedictorian in June, 2008. Officer Espy currently
serves as a patrolman for the Soldotna Police
Department.
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 Officer
Derek Urban
Officer Derek Urban came to the Soldotna
Police Department from Vernal, Utah in July of 2008.
Officer Urban began his law enforcement career in
1987 as a Military Police K-9 handler for the
United States Marine Corps. After his
military service he was hired with the
Uintah County Sheriff's Office in
Vernal, Utah. There he held many positions including
that of a correctional deputy, patrol deputy,
S.W.A.T. officer/sniper, and K-9 handler. He left
his former department having achieved the rank of
Sergeant. Officer Urban has competed in several K-9
and sniper competitions, including an international
sniper competition in the country of Austria.
Officer Urban's past service also includes time
with the
Uintah County Drug Court where he
worked as an administrator supervising drug
offenders in rehabilitation. Officer Urban is an
International Association of Chiefs of Police certified Drug Recognition Expert Instructor as well
as a firearms instructor. Officer Urban is currently
assigned to the Patrol division of the Soldotna
Police Department and recently became the
Department's Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE)
Officer
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 Officer
Stephen Clary
Officer Stephen Clary came to the Soldotna Police
Department from
Kellogg,
Idaho in October 2011.Officer Clary began
his Law Enforcement career as a Reserve Officer in
his home town of
Spirit Lake,
Idaho in January 2005. He was hired by the
Kellogg Police Department as a patrolman in May
2005, and attended the 148th Session of the
Idaho’s
Police Officer Standards and Training Academy
in October 2005.
Officer Clary will be
attended the re-certification program at the
Department of
Public Safety in Sitka, Alaska in January
2012. Officer Clary is currently assigned to the
Patrol Division for the Soldotna Police Department. |
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Walk-in Hours:
Monday-Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm
Administrative Hours:
Monday-Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm
Patrol Hours:
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Location:
Soldotna Police Department
44510 Sterling Highway
Soldotna, AK 99669
Phone: 907-262-4455
Fax: 907-262-4421 |
