Special Agent in Charge Herrick started his career in natural resource law enforcement in 1981 with the National Park Service (NPS) in Glacier NP, Montana. During his 23-year career with the NPS and US Forest Service (USFS) he was stationed in Montana, Florida, New York, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico/Texas, and Alaska. SAC Herrick has served as a uniformed law enforcement officer, K9 handler, plain-clothes investigator, and national liaison for the USFS drug enforcement program at the El Paso Intelligence Center. SAC Herrick accepted the Alaska Special Agent in Charge position in October 2000. He is a graduate of the University of Maine at Orono as well as both the Basic Police Academy and the Criminal Investigator training program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, Georgia.
He and his family (wife - Jill, son – Chris, and daughter – Jenna) enjoy hiking, boating, and fishing in and around Juneau. They are also avid travelers to almost anyplace with sun, sand, and warm water.
The Tongass and Chugach National Forests
There are two national forests in Alaska, the Tongass and the Chugach; they are the two largest in the nation. Together, they comprise 21.9 million acres of forest, 7.2 million acres of wetlands, and 7.8 million acres of wilderness and wilderness study areas. Incredibly, there are only 3,644 miles of roads within the two forests.
The Chugach National Forest is just 50 miles south of Anchorage, where half of Alaska’s population resides. The forest stretches more than 200 miles from the Kenai Peninsula to the Bering Glacier east of Cordova. 48% of the Chugach National Forest is comprised of Prince William Sound, which has more shoreline than the entire continental U.S. The Chugach is also home to the 41-mile long Columbia glacier.
The Tongass National Forest contains over 1,000 islands with nearly 11,000 miles of shoreline. The Tongass accounts for 80% of the southeast panhandle of Alaska, which stretches for over 500 air miles. It is the largest National Forest in the United States. Access to this “forest of islands” is accomplished only by water or air.
USDA Forest Service, Law Enforcement and Investigations (LEI), Alaska
31 Permanent Sworn Officers/Agents
5 Administrative Personnel
1 Legal Assistant
2 K9’s (1 - game detection dog, 1 – officer protection/drug detection)
The LEI program in Alaska has experienced considerable growth in the last few years and exemplifies professionalism to the highest degree. The department has very experienced and dedicated employees. With the addition of a Beaver floatplane in 2002, LEI maintains a full complement of patrol vessels, vehicles, and OHVs to assist in accomplishing its mission of “Caring for the land and serving people” in the National Forests of Alaska.
