Task Force to Reimagine the Public Safety Commission
On April 8, 2025, the Anchorage Assembly passed AR 2025-111, establishing a community task force to reimagine the former Public Safety Advisory Commission. Members of the community spent six months exploring the community's role in public safety, considered strategies for community engagement, and developed recommendations for the Anchorage Assembly and Mayor to consider in reimagining the former Public Safety Advisory Commission. Their work concluded on December 17, 2025, with the Assembly's acceptance of the Task Force's Final Report. This page includes the full record of the Task Force's work, including meeting materials, presentations, audio and video recordings, public input, and final recommendations.
Project Timeline
Task Force meetings were open to the public and recorded for the public record. Meeting materials were provided here in advance of the meetings, and recordings were published afterward.
Phase 1 Activities
- June 26, 2025 - First Task Force Meeting
The Task Force held its kick-off meeting on June 26th, bringing members together to define what success would look like for the group's work and reflecting on lessons learned from past efforts. Facilitators shared the timeline and key deliverables, and members of the public offered comments.
- July 2025 - Meetings Canceled
Based on feedback offered during the first task force meeting, task force leaders – including the Assembly sponsors, third-party facilitators Denali Daniels & Associates, and co-convener Rich Curtner – cancelled the previously scheduled July meetings. In place of its July meetings, the leadership team focused on reassessing the task force structure, clarifying opportunities for participation, and exploring new meeting formats that promote broad community engagement. As part of this effort, the Assembly sponsors launched a community feedback form to gather input on residents’ priorities, values, and lived experiences related to public safety.
- August 5, 2025 - Task Force Community Workshop
On the evening of August 5, 2025, the Task Force hosted a Community Workshop that brought together approximately 30 participants for open, honest, and constructive conversations about perceptions of the public safety system and community safety needs in Anchorage. The insights shared during the workshop helped shape the focus of future Task Force meetings and contributed to ongoing discussions about the potential structure and role of a new public safety commission.
Phase 2 Activities
- Thursday, September 25, 2025 | 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Panel 1: Existing Public Safety Agencies in Anchorage (Virtual Only)
This session examined Anchorage's current public safety landscape, explored where gaps exist and how a future PSAC might complement existing efforts. Panelists included Sean Case, Chief of Police; Douglas Schrage, Fire Chief; Kimberly Rash, Health Department Director; and Thea Agnew Bemben, Special Assistant, Mayor’s Office (Crisis Response).
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Thursday, October 16, 2025 | 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Panel 2: Models + Functions (Virtual Only)
This panel focused on how commissions function in Anchorage and elsewhere, emphasizing authority, sustainability, and membership. The session featured Tina Barr of the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement; Darrel Hess, Anchorage Municipal Ombudsman; and Jennifer Booz, Executive Director of the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission.
Community Feedback Form No. 1
The facilitation team launched an online feedback form to gather additional public input. Responses, as well as any proposals uploaded as attachments, were accepted through Monday, November 10, at 5:00 p.m. Input helped shape the Task Force’s deliberations in November. The community feedback form invited comments on:
- The proposed role and responsibilities of a new public safety body
- Membership and representation
- The appropriate level of authority
Community Feedback Form No. 2
The facilitation team launched an online feedback form to gather additional public input. Responses, as well as any proposals uploaded as attachments, were accepted through Monday, November 10, at 5:00 p.m. Input helped shape the Task Force’s deliberations in November. The form invited comments on: the proposed role and responsibilities of a new public safety body; membership and representation; and the appropriate level of authority.
- Thursday, November 13, 2025 | 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Facilitated Deliberation Session 1 (In-Person Only)
Task Force members began discussing draft recommendations.
Location: Learning Commons, located on the fourth floor of Anchorage Public Library, 3600 Denali Street.
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Thursday, November 20, 2025 | 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Facilitated Deliberation Session 2 (In-Person Only)
Task Force members identified key decision points and finalized recommendations.
Location: Learning Commons, located on the fourth floor of Anchorage Public Library, 3600 Denali Street.
- Final Report
Assembly Members Brawley, Rivera, and Perez-Verdia submitted the Task Force's final report to the Assembly's December 16th meeting agenda.
Monthly Updates to the Assembly
Background
On April 8, 2025, the Anchorage Assembly passed AR 2025-111 to establish a community task force to reimagine the former Public Safety Advisory Commission. Denali Daniels & Associates provided facilitation services to the group. The Task Force explored the community's role in public safety, considered strategies for community engagement, and developed recommendations for replacing the former Public Safety Advisory Commission.
An overview document was compiled to provide a legislative history of the former Public Safety Advisory Commission, current events that led to the creation of the Task Force, and what decisions the Task Force was asked to make.
Task Force Members
- Anna Brawley, Anchorage Assembly
- Carl Jacobs, Anchorage School District Board President
- Cheryl Cox Williams, NAACP Anchorage
- Darrell Evans, Anchorage Police Department Employees
- Enei Begaye, Native Movement
- Felix Rivera, Anchorage Assembly
- Julia Luey, VOA Alaska
- Kameron Perez-Verdia, Anchorage Assembly
- Katie Baldwin-Johnson, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
- Kim Rash, Director, Anchorage Health Department
- Mercedes Arciniega, Alaska Public Interest Research Group
- Randi Breager, Abused Women's Aid in Crisis
- Rich Curtner, Alaska Coalition for Justice
- Sean Case, Police Chief, Anchorage Police Department
- Tafilisaunoa Toleafoa, Pacific Community of Alaska
- Thea Agnew Bemben, Special Assistant, Mayor's Office