Alaska Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore said releasing footage from officers’ body-worn cameras after use-of-deadly-force situations is a matter involving both transparency and due process.
Skidmore’s press conference came as the Anchorage Assembly majority is ramping up demands for the release of video in recent officer-involved shooting incidences, particularly that of Kristopher Handy on May 13.
The Office of Special Prosecutions in the Alaska Law Department reviews all officer-involved shooting cases, Skidmore said. There have been nine officer-involved shootings in Alaska in 2024, five of them in Anchorage since May.
Three incidences since last October have been resolved with no charges filed against officers. They are:
- Timothy Thomas; Oct. 30, 2023, Tok; no charges filed against AST Trooper.
- Kaleb Bourdukofsky; June 1, 2024, Anchorage; no charges filed APD officers.
- Victor Jack; February 28, 2024, Wasilla; no charges filed against AST Trooper.
The pending cases are:
- Kristopher Handy; May 13, 2024, Anchorage; the autopsy report and the ballistics report received July 16.
- Tyler May; June 3, 2024, Anchorage; Law enforcement reports provided to Special Prosecutions on July 5. Still awaiting the autopsy report.
- Lisa Fordyce-Blair; June 19, 2024, Anchorage; A prosecutor has been in communication with investigators at APD and some law enforcement reports provided to Special Prosecutions July 16. Still awaiting the autopsy and ballistics report.
- Damien Dollison; July 8, 2024, Anchorage; A prosecutor has been in communication with investigators at APD, awaiting police reports, autopsy and ballistics reports.
- Steven Kissack; July 15, 2024, Juneau; A prosecutor has been in communication with investigators; awaiting reports from law enforcement, autopsy, and ballistics.
- Kirk Medak; July 8, 2024, Soldotna; A prosecutor has been in communication with investigators; awaiting reports from law enforcement, autopsy, and ballistics.
- Angela Polty; May 18, 2024, Marshall; awaiting ballistics.
- Micheal Grimes; November 1, 2023, Healy; awaiting Ballistics.
Skidmore released a report detailing laws and procedures around these types of cases, including this state statute:
AS 11.81.370 – Use of Force by Police
(a) … The officer may use deadly force only when and to the extent the officer reasonably believes the use of deadly force is necessary to make the arrest or terminate the escape or attempted escape from custody of a person the officer reasonably believes (1) has committed or attempted to commit a felony which involved the use of force against a person; (2) has escaped or is attempting to escape from custody while in possession of a firearm on or about the person; or (3) may otherwise endanger life or inflict serious physical injury unless arrested without delay.
Anchorage Assemblyman Felix Rivera said Anchorage Police have lost the public’s trust and he, Assemblyman Daniel Holland and Assemblywoman Meg Zaletel have introduced ordinances to hasten the release of the video from body-worn cameras.
“We broach this conversation at a time of mourning,” said Rivera. “We mourn the lives lost and feel for everyone involved in the recent officer-involved shootings. In the wake of loss and amid the pain, we call upon our fellow members, our partners in the Administration, and APD to change our approach and rebuild public trust.” (Italics by MRAK).
Anchorage AR 2024-210, demands that Anchorage Police offer the Handy family the opportunity to review footage of the Kris Handy police shooting at no cost in advance of its public release; it calls for the release of body-worn camera recordings of all recent officer-involved shootings and critical incidents, no later than 30 days after the resolution is approved; and, urges Mayor LaFrance Administration and Anchorage Police to use a different body-worn camera policy, such as one suggested by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
Anchorage AO 2024-69 proposes a definition of “body-worn cameras” in Anchorage Municipal Code under. The ordinance would give the existing policy governing body-worn cameras the force of law and establish that the failure to adhere the policy may be considered grounds for discipline. A public hearing is scheduled for July 30.
Watch the State Department of Law Facebook livestream of the press conference here.
I’m part of the public and you don’t speak for me, Felix.
Anchorage’s assembly members are largely responsible for the recent downward fall Anchorage has experienced and ours would be a better place if they Felix were gone.
Had Hennepin County released Minneapolis police’s GEORGE FLOYD BODYCAM footage right away, the massive, race RIOTS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED, which spurred subsequent riots in other states!
The rioters famously chanted “I can’t breathe,” which Floyd said 5 TIMES BEFORE being laid on the ground at his request — because Floyd was dying from a Fentanyl-with-cocaine overdose.
Had the public seen the bodycam footage, the vilification of the police would have stopped. Floyd could not have been portrayed as a martyr.
George Floyd said “I can’t breathe” 5 times BEFORE laying on the ground (at his request) — Police bodycam transcript & video
‘http://tobefree.press/2020/08/26/george-floyd-said-i-cant-breathe-5-times-before
“Had Hennepin County released Minneapolis police’s GEORGE FLOYD BODYCAM footage right away, the massive, race RIOTS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED………”
Bullspit.
Once again, WHO/WEF-led Anchorage Assembly is making demands.
People on Drugs(pot, fentanyl or other illegal drugs, one exception is ONLY if on medical and not “pyscho”, drugs)or drunk alcoholics have no excuses.
“We broach this conversation at a time of mourning. We mourn the lives lost and feel for everyone involved in the recent officer-involved shootings. In the wake of loss and amid the pain, we call upon our fellow members, our partners in the Administration, and APD to change our approach and rebuild public trust.” ~ Felix Rivera
Sir, you and the other left-wing people on the assembly are the cause of public mistrust.
John, how about no more “due-process” lectures until you explain:
(a) how “due process” is satisfied by the Alaska Supreme Court’s order SCO 1993 suspending Grand Jury power to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare and safety, despite the fact that Article 1,Section 8 of Alaska’s Constitution states:
“The power of Grand Juries to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare or safety shall never be suspended.” and
.
(b) more importantly why you apparently haven’t done anything to fix that problem?
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Has the possibility occurred to you, John, that Anchorage Peoples Assembly do what they want, secure in the knowledge that:
(a) a FUBAR’d grand jury system can’t touch them,
(b) they don’t have to give a damn about cops offing the odd non-photogenic troublemaker when they can deploy an army of code enforcers to shut down a whole city, “due process” be damned, while a Deputy Attorney General like you sits on your thumbs and lets them do it, and
(c) officials –just like you– are directly responsible for perpetuating the easily corruptible election system which installed them and guarantees their job security?
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No? How about lectures on:
(a) the transparency of ERIC, how it is that Division of Elections are so incompetent that they have to outsource their work and compromise our security to the Executive Director and Founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR), one of the organizations that funneled millions of dollars through Zuckerbucks to increase turnout in blue districts during the 2020 election;
(‘https://thefga.org/research/states-can-protect-elections-leaving-eric-maintaining-voter-rolls/)
.
(b) the “transparency” of Dominion vote-tabulation gear apparently bought without many people outside The Club knowing about it, without anybody outside Club Dominion knowing how it works,
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(c) how a Deputy Attorney General dedicates his career to guaranteeing voter rolls are accurate and no illegal alien will ever vote, or receive government benefits in Alaska.
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John… you there?
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