Anchorage Assembly considers new Public Safety Commission with community focus

The Anchorage Assembly held a work session Thursday on a proposed ordinance to establish a new Public Safety Commission, six months after a task force recommended reviving civilian oversight of public safety agencies.

Alaska Public previously covered the expiration of Anchorage's prior public safety advisory commission in 2024 when its authorizing legislation sunsetted. The Task Force to Reimagine Policing, Safety and Community Well-Being spent six months engaging municipal departments and the public to determine what role a new body could play in building trust and strengthening relationships between public safety agencies and the community.

The proposed commission would include 14 members: nine voting community appointees and five non-voting representatives from the Anchorage Police Department, Anchorage Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management, Department of Law, and Department of Health.

Assembly Member Felix Rivera, a sponsor of the ordinance, said the commission would create a bridge between the public and public safety agencies.

"Really the reason behind this commission and trying to create this commission is to allow some form of municipal entity where a bridge can be created between the public and our public safety agencies," Rivera said.

The commission would have advisory authority to review policies and training, hold public hearings, and request briefings and public records. It could request independent reviews of specific incidents after initial investigations conclude. It would not conduct its own investigations, make disciplinary decisions, or access personnel records.

Rivera said the commission would focus on systems-level oversight rather than day-to-day operations or individual cases. The body would meet at least quarterly and submit annual reports to the Assembly and administration.

Members would serve three-year staggered terms with a limit of three consecutive full terms. No more than three of the nine voting members could be former employees of the police department, fire department, emergency response, or the Alaska Department of Law in any jurisdiction. Current municipal employees would be barred from serving on the commission.

Staffing would rotate among the police department, fire department, and Office of Emergency Management, with no new municipal positions anticipated. The sponsors did not include a fiscal note, expecting existing staff to support the commission.

Members would receive training on criminal justice fundamentals, police and fire department policies, ethics, and governance. They would be eligible for ride-alongs with police and fire crews.