External Review of APD Polices & Procedures Planned

Posted: 4/20/12

I recently announced an external review into the policy and procedures of the Anchorage Police Department (APD) as they relate to the supervision and disciplinary actions of their employees. 

We are in contract discussions with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to conduct the review.  The IACP is the world's oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization of police executives, with over 20,000 members in over 100 different countries. IACP's leadership consists of the operating chief executives of international, federal, state and local agencies of all sizes.  They are experts in the areas of police operating procedures, policies, and training.  They will review the corrective actions that have been taken, and make recommendations as to what more should be done in order to maintain officers of the highest integrity and professionalism.  

In April of 2009, the Anchorage Police Department received credible and actionable evidence that Anthony Rollins had allegedly sexually assaulted a woman.  The Anchorage Police Department immediately opened a criminal investigation, which included researching police reports and trying to contact over two hundred women Mr. Rollins had contact with while on duty.  The Department’s quick and thorough action, and the cooperation of the victims, led to the arrest and conviction of Mr. Rollins for sexually assaulting five women.

The Anchorage Police Department’s Mission is “to protect and serve our community in the most professional and compassionate manner possible.”   Hundreds of officers do this every day.  APD has acted proactively to improve policies and programs within the department.  However, we do not want to miss an opportunity to further improve how we operate and continue to earn the trust of the public.  The external review will help us accomplish this goal.

This review is one step in a long process which has already began at APD. In July 2011, the IACP issued an Executive Guide on Addressing Sexual Offenses and Misconduct by Law Enforcement, recognizing this has been a national issue in police departments.  In the guide, the IACP outlined eight major areas where police departments should focus their attention in order to reduce the chances of an officer committing sexual misconduct or sexual crimes. The guide recommends things such as creating a strong policy, more stringent screening at hiring, training, early intervention programs, clear and transparent complaint reporting and investigation, and fair treatment of officers and victims.  Many of these guidelines have been implemented by APD.   

Recent and In-Progress Changes at the APD

  1. Substation video:  Surveillance cameras have been installed in the substations we intend to keep.  The equipment is installed and tested.  Training and policy promulgation is in process.  Issues regarding evidence retention and discovery still need to be resolved prior to full implementation.
  2. In-car (and possibly on body) video:  Some of the funding is secured.  The remainder is before the legislature now.  A draft RFP has been prepared in anticipation of full funding.
  3. Greater supervision of officers participating in overtime details:  Officers who work special grant-funded overtime details are now supervised by the on-duty shift sergeants.
  4. More sergeants:  We have created more patrol sergeant positions, and have made the promotions.  There is now more ongoing supervision.
  5. Sergeant rotation in Internal Affairs:  Sergeants will now do two-week rotating tours with Internal Affairs to better understand the trend nature of officer complaints and investigations, learn the impact on the organization of officer misconduct, learn the performance background of the officers in their charge, and develop skill and understanding of the IA data bases and tracking systems.  This program is in its early steps.
  6. Early intervention program:  Using our data systems, we are implementing a process that alerts management when officers meet threshold levels of certain conduct types.  Commanders and supervisors must then explore the root causes of the conduct and implement corrective plans.   We are just finishing development and beginning implementation. 
  7. New Polygraph protocols:  We have adopted a new Polygraph approach, and provided additional training to our operators.  The training includes new questioning techniques specific to candidate screening (as opposed to criminal investigation).  The new approach will help weed out unsuitable candidates.
  8. Pre-hire file review:  We have added a new step to the hiring process.  When the testing process has narrowed the field down to 50 prospects, those files are sent to a panel of lieutenants whose job is to attempt to find errors, omissions or areas of concern regarding those applicants.  They create a list of concerns and return the files to the background investigators for more work.  The point is to find subtle problems that the routine process might miss.
  9. Quality Assurance calls:  Periodically, the department calls a random sample of people who have had contact with officers.  The callers ask a series of quality-assurance-style questions.  (In the Rollins case, this proved valuable in getting some women, who might not have ever come forward, to talk about what had happened to them.)
  10. Contact cards:  All officers have been issued APD business cards, and are required to hand them out to all contacts.  On the back is an invitation to comment on the quality of the contact, and a phone number to call for that purpose.