Meet Ron Dupee: Incoming Chief at the Fairbanks Police Department

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - Ron Dupee, long time employee of the Fairbanks Police Department, was chosen last week by Mayor Jim Matherly to be the new Chief of Police. Dupee, who has been with the department for 16 years was one of two internal candidates to have applied for the job.

“It’s awesome that a person born and raised here in Fairbanks, just like I was, has risen through the ranks as he has and proved himself ready for this job,” Matherly said.

Dupee said that he is glad to have been selected, “I am very honored and humbled to have been selected as the next Chief of Police for the Fairbanks Police Department and I am going to do my best to make everybody proud.”

Dupee was born and raised in Fairbanks, where he played hockey during school and then for the Ice Dogs for two seasons. Even now, he continues to coach his sons hockey team. He said his love of the outdoors is what made him want to get into law enforcement at first.

“I started off wanting to be a fish and wildlife officer, I love the outdoors and being born and raised here in Alaska always enjoyed being outdoors so that’s where I thought I wanted to go,” Dupee said.

After attending the law enforcement academy he quickly realized that he wanted to work for a city department instead. He spent a few years in Unalaska as a police officer before moving to Fairbanks to continue his law enforcement career.

When asked why he has stayed with FPD for so long he said, “The thing that motivates me is the ability every day to come into work and be able to affect change in someone’s life.” He said that he wants to be able to help the community he loves and the department that is his family.

Since joining FPD Dupee has moved through the ranks as an officer, becoming a sergeant, lieutenant and most recently the acting deputy chief for the department. He says that becoming chief is the next logical step, “I’ve always, you know, since I started off as a police officer here, I have always wanted to take that leading role.”

Being a veteran of the department gives him a head start in being chief.

“I know the struggles that the department has, especially with recruiting and retention, and I also know the struggles that the city has with regards to budgeting process and that sort of thing, so I am familiar with issues and can tackle them,” Dupee said.

If the Fairbanks City Council confirms him as the police chief on February 22, Dupee says he wants to get to work building the department, “Our biggest goals are to retain the people that we have, recruit more people and get more officers on the streets so we can improve the services that we have, that we provide to the Fairbanks community.”

He said that he thinks they can have the department fully staffed within 2-3 years. He also said that it will be important to continue the family environment that the department has that will help officers want to stay with the department.

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