ANCHORAGE – Today, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz proposed 2016 budgets for the Anchorage Police and Fire Departments that reflect his commitment to creating a safe, secure, strong Anchorage. Mayor Berkowitz proposes an increased investment of $5 million in the public safety budgets for 2016. This will allow APD to hold three police academies, adding approximately 20 new sworn officers to the force. An increased investment at AFD will facilitate a fire academy producing 10 new Anchorage firefighters.
“I made a commitment to increase public safety in Anchorage and that starts now with an investment in APD and AFD. These investments will make Anchorage streets safer and reduce our reliance on costly overtime,” said Mayor Berkowitz.
In January, 2011 APD had 369 sworn officers, compared with 319 sworn officers in January 2015. PERF (Police Executive Research Forum) Report recommendations indicate Anchorage needs 400+ officers to provide adequate police coverage for the community.
“I am extremely happy Mayor Berkowitz has made public safety a priority. Increasing the police force is a must,” stated Antonio Anderson, Community Police Relations Task Force and Public Safety transition subcommittee member.
An AFD academy producing 10 new firefighters will allow for less reliance on overtime to fulfill necessary staffing levels in support of AFD’s top rated response time.
Investments in the Anchorage Police Department and Anchorage Fire Department will also provide the necessary equipment to carry out their missions.
Mayor Berkowitz will present the full 2016 budget to the Assembly on Friday, which will highlight steps taken to close the $11 million budget gap from a loss of the ML&P dividend and state revenue sharing.
For more information, contact Myer Hutchinson at (907) 343-7133.
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