Assemblyman Felix Rivera on Tuesday introduced a resolution that would have the Anchorage Assembly support certain state bills offered by Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson that put restrictions on police actions. The package of legislation, Senate Bills 1, 3, 3, 4, 7, and 46, relate to how police perform their duties when they are in the middle of a serious police response. Police would be prohibited from using choke holds, and would be required to use “de-escalation techniques.” They would have to warn someone before shooting them. They would not be able to shoot at a moving vehicle.
The measure introduced at the Anchorage Assembly would give the nod of approval for the variety of measures in these bills, but the resolution didn’t make it far.
Assemblywoman Jamie Allard quickly moved to table it indefinitely. No one seconded her motion, but East Anchorage member Forrest Dunbar nearly simultaneously moved to postpone the vote until April 12, and that received a second from West Anchorage member Austin Quinn-Davidson, who sits beside him on the dais.
Although Allard’s motion was made first, Chair Suzanne LaFrance didn’t recognize it and ask if there was a second, but instead recognized Dunbar’s motion.
It was an effort by the liberal Assembly members to not have to go on the record between now and the April 5 municipal election deadline, when members Dunbar, Meg Zaletel, Kameron Perez-Verdia, and John Weddleton are up for reelection. In the end, the move to postpone passed unanimously, with Allard maintaining that her motion to postpone indefinitely had not been properly recognized.
I strongly oppose mis-guided legislation that will make policing more difficult. I believe we have a great police department and am not aware of APD using excessive restraint. Earth to Felix, criminals are bad people. Anchorage does not need solutions for problems that do not exist.
Frank Rast,
Good comment, agree wholeheartedly.
I could see value in those “anti-police” policies – but only if applied to offenses against those now promoting them.
Let the police do their job…
It’s dangerous enough as it is already for the police !!
They must have listened to Joe’s speech and now the police are cool.
But I thought Sleepy Joe said we weren’t going to defend the police?!?!? Did Fee-licks not get the memo?
#FliptheAssembly
Hello police officers and unions: those you support the most with your money and votes are wanting to muzzle you!
It’s so important we’ve got to discuss it later.
Gee…. what are the odds. The Assembly doing everything they can to get re-elected, ignoring one of their duly elected members, and taking action against the police. All in the same move.
.
Like safe streets? The Assembly doesn’t. Disagree. The Assembly will ignore you.
Once again the liberals are manipulating the process,. When will they learn felons cannot vote, and Elvi Gray-Jackson is a serious candidate. If it wasn’t so serious it would funny.
Scumbags.
As usual, the commie Assembly members cower and lie.
Vote against all of them!!
No dunbar
No zeletel
No perez-verdia
No weddleton
“It was an effort by the liberal Assembly members to not have to go on the record between now and the April 5 municipal election deadline, when members Dunbar, Meg Zaletel, Kameron Perez-Verdia, and John Weddleton are up for reelection.”
Their lack of confidence isn’t encouraging. There might be unintended consequences and officer and community safety issues having it passed. If it was good they’d pass it last Tuesday, and use it during campaigns.
They should think twice about prohibiting choke-holds.
After the Los Angeles police, who had been, on average, killing several people a year with choke-holds were prohibited from using choke-holds over 20 years ago LA police shootings went up, and the increase in gun deaths by the LAPD was two to three times the decrease in choke-hold deaths by the LAPD. Yes, choke holds can be lethal, but guns are, as they are supposed to be, more lethal.
More training and restricting the use of choke holds on non-resisting people, rather than completely prohibiting choke-holds, is probably the best policy.
Felix is not up for reelection….is it possible that they (our duly elected progressive) were not on the same page here? The other side of the coin is that he is so confident the agenda should be promoted that it shouldn’t matter to those up for election (his progressive buddies anyway); they will likely vote for this later after the election. I hope it is on their way out of office.
Comments are closed.