The Anchorage Assembly approved (10-1) AR 2026-328, as amended, during its November 4, 2026 Regular Meeting, establishing an Ad Hoc Assembly Committee on Anchorage Police Department (APD) Policy Review and Implementation.
The resolution, sponsored by Assembly Member Kameron Perez-Verdia (District 3, West Anchorage), who will chair the committee, creates a temporary body charged with two focused areas of legislative policy oversight for a one-year term. The first is APD’s implementation of third-party recommendations issued by 21st Century Policing Solutions (21CP) and related critical incident review work. The second is policies regulating police technology, including the Real-Time Crime Center, drones, cameras, and automated license plate readers. The committee will examine which provisions belong in Anchorage Municipal Code, which belong in APD policy, and which may be handled through operational practices, while addressing how those policies protect the right to privacy under Article I, Section 22 of the Alaska Constitution.
The committee’s scope is limited to policy development and implementation in these areas. It will not direct personnel matters, individual investigations, or employee discipline. Oversight extends to policies established in Municipal Code, department policies, and operational practices. Other APD matters remain with the Assembly Public Safety Committee and other standing committees.
Perez-Verdia described the committee as “an opportunity to strengthen public trust through greater transparency, meaningful public engagement, and collaboration with APD and the administration. Whether we’re reviewing use-of-force policies or emerging police technologies, our goal is to ensure that policies support effective public safety while respecting the constitutional rights and privacy of Anchorage residents. These are important issues that deserve thoughtful, sustained attention.”
The resolution recites a series of events beginning with five officer-involved shootings in Anchorage in 2024. On August 15, 2024, the Mayor and Chief of Police announced actions in response. On January 9, 2025, the Municipal Attorney released a report by Christopher Darcy of Fairfax Consulting Group containing 11 recommendations drawn from a review of one of those shootings. The recommendations addressed information-gathering, leadership and supervision, command and control, de-escalation and response to resistance, development of force options, contact/cover, cultural competence, post-incident procedures, and equipment; they were transmitted to the Assembly as AIM 21-2025. The Administration later reported that the Darcy recommendations had been implemented.
In 2025 the Municipality contracted with 21CP Solutions for a comprehensive review of APD policies, training, tactics, and supervision relating to use of force and de-escalation. On September 2, 2026, the Municipal Attorney released 21CP’s final report. It analyzed APD use-of-force data from January 2021 through June 2025 and separately analyzed 11 officer-involved shootings from January 2024 through May 2025. The report found a 17 percent overall reduction in use-of-force incidents between 2022 and 2024, while identifying a high number of force encounters involving individuals with confirmed or possible behavioral health issues, instances of high-risk vehicle pursuits and tactics, and needed improvements in how APD tracks officer performance trends. 21CP issued more than 50 recommendations. APD reported that as of August 2026 it had fully integrated 49 of the actionable recommendations into updated policy or operational practice, with the remainder in progress, as documented in a gap analysis attached as Appendix A. The findings and implementation progress were presented to the Assembly Public Health and Safety Committee on September 9, 2026.
On the technology side, the Assembly on September 23, 2025 approved a five-year contract with Axon Enterprise, Inc. (AIM 699-2025) totaling $11,795,175.04. The package included tasers, body-worn cameras, and virtual reality de-escalation training, plus new technologies: a Real-Time Crime Center capable of receiving up to 750 camera feeds, vehicle-mounted automated license plate readers, and unmanned aircraft. The Assembly also approved AIM 524-2026, a cooperative purchase not to exceed $598,998.10 for an audio-visual system for the Real-Time Crime Center. Since September 1, 2026, the Assembly has been considering AO 2026-108 and two substitute versions that would place restrictions in Anchorage Municipal Code on automated license plate readers, Real-Time Crime Center operations, live camera monitoring, and the retention and use of surveillance data.
The resolution states that these developments have raised questions about the appropriate placement of rules (Municipal Code, APD policy, or operational practice) and about privacy protections. It notes prior Assembly exploration of strengthened public engagement through the Public Safety Advisory Commission and proposals for a Public Safety Partnership Commission. It describes APD as being in a significant period of change while revising its policy manual and implementing the Darcy and 21CP recommendations and positions the ad hoc committee as a vehicle for the Assembly and the public to follow policy development and implementation in detail without duplicating the work of the standing Public Safety Committee.
Membership consists of Perez-Verdia as chair plus at least three additional Assembly Members to be appointed by Assembly Chair Brawley. The Chief of Police and the Municipal Attorney (or their designees) are invited to participate, along with a representative of the Mayor’s office.
Within 30 days of passage, the Committee Chair and the Chief of Police are to jointly develop a schedule of policy reviews for discussion at the first meeting. At each meeting the committee will review one or more policies—what the policy requires, how it operates in practice, related data, and real-world examples presented by APD personnel who perform the work—while also allocating time to understand the underlying process or technology. Meetings will be held at least monthly (with worksessions as needed) and open to the public.
The committee will report to the full Assembly and the Public Safety Committee quarterly and will submit a final report at the end of its term summarizing its work and any recommended changes to Anchorage Municipal Code, APD policy, or other rules and regulations. The term is twelve months from the effective date; the Assembly may extend, modify, or conclude it by resolution. No fiscal impact is anticipated.
