Anchorage police say 48 of 52 use-of-force items done, four still open

Anchorage police officers now work under a written duty to intervene when they see a colleague use improper force, part of a rewritten policy that took effect July 31. Police Chief Sean Case told the Anchorage Assembly at a Friday work session that the department has worked through 52 action items drawn from an independent review by 21CP Solutions. "48 Of them have been fully addressed in policy, 3 of them are underway, and then 1 is a staffing question, which is to add a third internal affairs investigator into IA," Case said. The three items underway are documentation changes. The new investigator would focus on use-of-force cases once the department creates more sergeant positions.

The review followed a two-part process the Municipality began after an August 2024 officer-involved shooting. The final 21CP report analyzed force data from January 2021 through June 2025 and 11 officer-involved shootings. It found a 17% drop in force incidents between 2022 and 2024. An earlier Alaska News article on the review noted force falls disproportionately on Alaska Native residents. The Assembly has had no standing police oversight body since January 2024.

Case said the rewrite spans 10 sections and roughly 1,300 pages. Policy now uses a single "imminent threat" standard built on ability, opportunity and jeopardy. A new Use of Force Review Board will meet on a standing day each month to examine serious incidents after criminal and administrative investigations close.

The rewrite departs from 21CP in two places. It sets the PIT maneuver, a pursuit tactic that spins a fleeing car to a stop, at 45 mph rather than the recommended 35 mph. It also lets trained patrol officers pin vehicles under specific conditions.

Officers who fire their weapons now take seven days off, up from four, plus a return-to-work mental health check. "It's not just the 7 days. It goes much, much broader than that. And it does impact staffing. It does cost overtime because we backfill those positions," Case said. He added that one to two months out of work after a shooting is now common.

Case said the department has $500,000 in annual training money and two trainings booked for 2027. A possible 2028 request, he said, would cover bringing 21CP back to review implementation, which the firm recommended about 18 months out.

Asked about funding an Anchorage-specific Alaska Native cultural competency plan, Case said he was open to it. He said effective training requires meaningful interaction with community members. Policy and training will have an impact, he said, but not a meaningful one without broader work on health care, jobs and schools.