This editorial appeared in the Anchorage Daily News on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008.

Before Gov. Palin forced out Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, he and his department produced a strategic plan for systematically improving the Alaska State Troopers. Called the "Strategic Compass," the plan came out Dec. 5 last year and outlined many helpful steps that would improve the efficiency and quality of trooper service.

Since then, the compass has sat on the shelf. It points in the right direction but it has been ignored.

The Strategic Compass recognized that troopers do not have the staff or resources to do all that Alaskans rightfully expect them to do. As Gov. Palin noted in firing Monegan in July, the troopers have been unable to fill a large number of vacancies.

Troopers would start to deal with that by developing a long-term staffing plan, according to the blueprint Monegan worked up.

That hasn't happened.

To read the complete editorial, visit The Anchorage Daily News .