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.

Anchorage's prior public safety advisory commission sunsetted in 2024 when its authorizing legislation expired. 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.

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.

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.

The commission would have advisory authority to review policies and training, hold public hearings, and request briefings and public records. It would not conduct its own investigations, make disciplinary decisions, or access personnel records.

The Assembly is scheduled to open a public hearing on the ordinance May 26. The sponsors indicated they would likely continue the hearing to a future meeting to allow time for public input and further amendments.