Current
Initiatives
Public Safety is a priority focus for the Anchorage Assembly. To receive updates about current or upcoming legislation, subscribe to the Anchorage Assembly Newsletter and select Priority Updates: Public Safety.
Surveillance Technology Guardrails
Sponsored by Assembly Members McCormick, Scout, and Vice Chair Volland
AO 2026-108 was introduced on August 18 and seeks to clarify existing restrictions on surveillance technology and establish new restrictions on automated license plate reader systems, real-time crime center operations, and live camera monitoring.
The proposed ordinance re-organizes Anchorage Municipal Code Chapter 3.102 to provide a clear formal structure for the use and approval of all surveillance technologies by the Municipality, and introduces new language governing the use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), integrated camera networks, Real Time Crime Center operations and the retention and storage of data.
Taken together, the sponsors intend for the ordinance to:
- Transform AMC 3.102 from a disjointed and limited set of rules into a robust privacy framework;
- Ensure that surveillance technology in Anchorage is used only for legitimate, incident‑based public safety purposes;
- Prohibit retention of data from people who are not suspected of wrongdoing;
- Clarify that the Assembly – not vendors – control surveillance capability; and
- Give residents meaningful remedies when violations occur.
- Tuesday, September 15, 2026 - The public hearing will continue at the Regular Assembly Meeting of September 15. Visit the Assembly's participation page for informaiton about how to provide testimony.
- Tuesday, September 1, 2026 - A public hearing was held at the Regular Assembly Meeting. The Assembly voted to continue the public hearing to its next meeting.
Also on the September 1st agenda for Assembly consideration was an APD Technology Upgrade:
AM 524-2026, for the purchase and installation of Real Time Crime Center Audio Visual system for the Anchorage Police Department. The Assembly approved this item.
Past Presentations
Previous Initiatives
On Friday, April 24, Assembly Chair Anna Brawley, Assembly Member Kameron Perez-Verdia, and former Assembly Member Felix Rivera released AO 2026-62, an ordinance to
establish a new Anchorage Public Safety Commission. The proposal advanced a year-long effort to improve dialogue, transparency, and resident engagement in public safety systems. A Task Force to Reimagine the Public Safety Commission was part of the effort – details about the work of the task force are provided below. Throughout the legislative process, two substiture versions of the proposal were submitted. Click on the buttons below to read the orignal and substitute versions.
Legislative History
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July 30, 2026 - Sponsors issued a
final statement on the ordinance to establish a Public Safety Partnership Commission.
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July 21, 2026 -
Continued Public Hearing.
The public hearing on
AO 2026-62 continued at the July 21 Regular Assembly Meeting. On July 7, the sponsors submitted a second substitute version of the propoal (AO 2026-62(S-1)) which was available as part of the continued public hearing. The sponsors opinion piece about the S-1 version was published in the Anchorage Daily News: Opinion: A safer Anchorage starts with stronger trust between residents and public safety agencies - Anchorage Daily News. Ultimately, the ordinances died for lack of a motion.
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July 14, 2026 - Worksession No. 2
A
worksession was held to review the ordinance, proposed Assembly amendments, and to address further quesitons. Worksessions are informational meetings where members learn about what’s proposed and ask questions of the sponsors. The public is invited to attend and listen, but there are no opportunities for public comment. Worksessions are livestreamed and recorded on the
MOA Meetings YouTube channel. -
June 9, 2026 - Continued Public Hearing
The public hearing on AO 2026-62 continued at the June 9 Regular Assembly Meeting. On June 5, the sponsors submited an
(S) substitute version of the ordinance that incorporated some of the feedback they recieved from the administration and community members since the first public hearing. The Assembly heard testimony on July 9 and, given the significant public interest, moved to reopen the public hearing and continue it to the meeting of July 21.
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May 26, 2026 - Public Hearing
The public hearing on
AO 2026-62 opened at the May 26 Regular Assembly Meeting.
Learn more about providing public testimony.
- May 14, 2026 - Worksession No. 1
The Assembly
held a worksession on the ordinance from 2:30 to 3:30 on Thursday, May 14. Worksessions are informational meetings where Assembly Members learn about what’s proposed, and ask questions of the sponsors.
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April 28, 2026 - Introduced Ordinance
Assembly Members Anna Brawley, Kameron Perez-Verdia and Felix Rivera introduced AO 2026-62 to establish a new Anchorage Public Safety Commission alongside an
Assembly Memoranda detailing the background and intent of the proposal.
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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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Membership and representation
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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.
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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