Anchorage Public Safety Commission ordinance fails for lack of a second

Anchorage residents remain without a public safety oversight forum after the Assembly failed Tuesday night to advance an advisory-only commission ordinance. Assembly Member Kameron Perez-Verdia moved the S-1 version after the public hearing closed. Chair Anna Brawley asked twice for a second. None came. The item died for lack of action.

Anchorage has had no such body since the previous Public Safety Advisory Commission sunset on Jan. 31, 2024. The S-1 proposal would have created a 14-member commission barred from conducting investigations, exercising subpoena power, or influencing personnel discipline. The proposal grew from a six-month 2025 task force whose December report recommended investigatory authority and subpoena power. Neither appeared in S-1.

Sgt. Matthew Hall of the Anchorage Police Department testified July 15 that active-duty officers should have a voice on the commission and cited existing APD transparency programs.

The mother of Tyler May told the Assembly: "I'm not asking you to prejudge any officer or any individual case. I'm asking you to recognize that when deadly force is used, the public deserves a public safety commission that is independent, transparent, and trusted."