Walter Monegan Former Commissioner of Public Safety of the State of Alaska, USA Date of Birth: 01.05.1951 Country: USA

1. Early Life and Education
2. Career in Law Enforcement
3. Dismissal from the Commissioner of Public Safety
4. Allegations of Undue Pressure
5. Legislative Investigation and Findings

Early Life and Education

Walter Carl Carlton Monegan was born in Seattle, Washington, in May 1951. He spent his formative years in the wilderness of Alaska, growing up in the tiny village of Nyac, a former gold rush settlement with a population of 54, raised by his maternal relatives. Monegan attended college for a year before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in 1970.

Career in Law Enforcement

Monegan began his career in law enforcement as a patrol officer with the Anchorage Police Department in January 1974. He rose through the ranks and served in various divisions and departments within the agency, including Internal Affairs, Crime Prevention, Public Affairs, and Criminal Investigations. Monegan attended the Northwestern University Traffic Institute Police School of Staff and Command and the University of Louisville's National Crime Prevention Institute.

Monegan also held the positions of Police Chief and Lieutenant in the Anchorage Police Department. In 2001, he was appointed Police Chief by Mayor George Wuerch. In September 2006, he was appointed Commissioner of Public Safety for the State of Alaska by Governor Sarah Palin.

Dismissal from the Commissioner of Public Safety

On July 11, 2008, Monegan was dismissed from his position as Commissioner of Public Safety by Governor Palin. The governor cited his "failure to be a team player on budget issues." Palin offered Monegan the position of Executive Director of the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, but he declined.

Monegan's dismissal came as a surprise to many Alaskans, who viewed him as a well-respected and effective law enforcement official. It has been widely speculated that the real reason for Monegan's removal was his refusal to fire Trooper Mike Wooten, a former brother-in-law of Palin who was involved in a child custody dispute.

Allegations of Undue Pressure

Monegan alleged that he had resisted persistent but subtle pressure from Palin, her husband, and staff to terminate Wooten. Palin denied pressuring Monegan over Wooten's dismissal. Monegan claimed that Palin had sent him emails, which he declined to release publicly pending an independent investigation.

The allegations of pressure were corroborated by the fact that Governor Palin's husband, Todd Palin, visited Monegan in January 2007, just one month after Palin assumed the governorship. However, Monegan maintained that despite repeated mentions of Wooten in the governor's conversations with him over 19 months, she never directly requested his termination.

Legislative Investigation and Findings

The Alaska Legislature launched an investigation into Monegan's dismissal based on his testimony. Palin initiated her own investigation before the legislative action. On August 13, 2008, Palin stated that "pressure may have been applied to Commissioner Monegan that I was not aware of at the time." She acknowledged that her administration officials had contacted Monegan about Wooten over 20 times, but that she was aware of only some of those contacts. She also noted that Wooten remained employed.

A six-hour hearing was held on Monegan's case on October 10, 2008. The Alaska Legislature found that Governor Palin had abused her authority. However, the report also stated that the conflict over Wooten was likely a factor, but not the sole reason, for Monegan's dismissal. The former Commissioner of Public Safety had clashed with the governor over funding, which was cited as the formal reason for his departure.