By ATTORNEY GENERAL TREG TAYLOR

The Rest of the Story…

Two recent columns by a progressive activist, associated with the California Innocence Project, grossly misrepresent not only the prosecution of former Ketchikan Police Chief Walls but the integrity and role of the Department of Law. The author’s narrative omits critical facts and paints a picture of misconduct that simply doesn’t align with the evidence or the process that unfolded.

Here’s what actually happened:

The witnesses’ testimony during the grand jury is clear – Chief Walls was dining with his wife and another patron, a tourist, bumped into their chairs twice during the course of the evening. After the second time and as the tourist walked away, Chief Walls “thr[e]w his barstool back” and “t[oo]k off on a dead sprint” across a restaurant, and slammed the tourist from behind, headfirst into a rock wall. He then “jump[ed] on top of him” and placed the man “in a UFC type chokehold” as “the guy was bleeding” from his head. The chokehold was so severe it took two employees to pull Walls off the tourist. At no point did Walls, who was off duty, identify himself as law enforcement or issue a single verbal command, like “Stop, police, you’re under arrest.” That was not policing—it was violence.

We recognize that Chief Walls had a long career and a history of service. But past accomplishments do not excuse present misconduct. Upholding the law means applying it equally, even when it’s uncomfortable. Public trust in our justice system depends on prosecutors and law enforcement holding ourselves to the same standards we expect from everyone else.

The article’s author leans heavily on a memo written by a paid expert hired by Walls’ own defense attorney. That’s not an independent analysis, it’s a piece of a legal defense that Walls could have presented at trial. He chose not to. Instead, he accepted a settlement. The idea that prosecutors hid or ignored that memo is false; it simply never entered the courtroom because Walls avoided one. The author also uses other cases, such as Thomas Jack Jr., as support for his narrative but fails to disclose that Jack Jr. was unanimously found guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing his preteen foster daughter by a jury of his peers in his own community. 

The Department of Law does not have the authority to investigate criminal cases. This case was referred to our department by law enforcement officers who investigated the incident and believed the use of force was excessive. That’s how the process works. We reviewed the evidence provided by law enforcement and followed the facts. 

As for the grand jury process: three grand juries were held because of procedural rulings by a judge, not because of any misconduct. In each case, the court asked that additional information or clarification be provided. The author claims that this back-and-forth between the prosecutor, defense attorney, and a judge proves bad faith or corruption. It actually shows something quite different: a system that works – with checks and balances, where a judge decides areas of genuine disagreement between the parties. Ultimately, a misdemeanor assault charge was allowed to proceed, and that’s the charge the prosecutor pursued. Such a charge was found to be lawful and appropriate.

The credibility of law enforcement is the foundation of our justice system. We are proud of what our department has accomplished with the help of law enforcement agencies around the state. Crime rates are hovering around 40-year lows, and violent crime is down almost five percent. In 2024 alone, the department successfully prosecuted 223 drug crimes and our law enforcement partners seized 99,853 grams of fentanyl off our streets. That work matters, and it only carries weight if the public trusts that we apply the law fairly.

When someone in uniform or authority abuses their power, that conduct must be addressed. The rule of law doesn’t work unless it applies to all of us. We took this case seriously, because that’s what the public deserves.

Treg Taylor has served as Alaska’s Attorney General since 2021, following two years as Deputy Attorney General overseeing the Department of Law’s Civil Division. In that time, he has guided the state’s legal work to defend Alaska’s sovereignty, protect public safety, and preserve the freedoms and opportunities that define life in the Last Frontier.