Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance on Thursday announced a slate of changes coming to the police department after an officer shot and killed a teenage girl this week.
“I know there is a lot of pain and anger right now, and a lot of work to do to make sure everyone feels safe in our community,” LaFrance said at a news conference.
On Tuesday night, Anchorage police killed 16-year-old Easter Leafa when responding to a call at her family's home. They said she was holding a knife.
Leafa is the fourth person killed by Anchorage police since mid-May, and the sixth person shot. Her death has sparked widespread outcry from the community.
LaFrance noted that Leafa was killed just before entering her junior year of high school. She said the teenager deserved to be safe in the community, and her family deserved more time with her.
"As a community member, as mayor, as a mom of a 16-year-old, I am heartbroken that we have lost such a young life in our community," LaFrance said.
LaFrance said a third party will investigate Leafa’s shooting, as opposed to APD’s Internal Affairs, who normally investigate police shootings. She said the state Office of Special Prosecutions will also monitor the investigation and determine if criminal charges are warranted.
Additionally, LaFrance said a third party will examine APD’s policies and procedures with the goal of reducing police shootings.
“We cannot and we will not accept this as our new normal,” LaFrance said.
She said the municipal attorney’s office will manage those investigations and, “the outside entity will not limit its analysis to what is legally permissible.”
APD Police Chief Sean Case also announced a series of internal changes at the department at Thursday's news conference. He said the number of police shootings so far this year is “well outside the average.”
“And I know many community members are concerned, as are we," Case said. "I never want people to be unsure that they can call the police.”
Case said a lieutenant has been reviewing the past 15 years of police shooting data. The review is incomplete, but Case said there’s enough to start making changes to the training curriculum.
So far, he said, the department has noticed that a lot of the police involved in recent incidents have left. He said they have also noticed an increase in officers at the scene in more recent shootings.
"So typically, we're used to seeing one or two officers involved in an officer-involved shooting at a time. We've seen that number increase, and we've seen some of the rounds fired during the incidents increase from what we've seen in previous years," he said.
Case also said a newly promoted captain will examine how the police academy trains officers, with a focus on “de-escalation techniques and critical thinking tactics.”
“As police officers, we strive to protect human life,” Case said. “When we don’t meet that goal, it is a tragedy. We are committed to demonstrating that our department is here to protect and serve the people of Anchorage.”
Case also announced that the department will create a community advisory board to formally advise the department. The move follows calls from community members for an independent citizen review board for the police.
In a joint statement, Assembly members Meg Zaletel, Daniel Volland and Felix Rivera said they appreciated the creation of an advisory board, but it "doesn't go far enough."
"We call for the creation of some type of civilian oversight, with a goal to have stood up a civilian oversight model by April of 2025 with funding for this model included in the Mayor’s proposed 2025 budget," the statement said.
The three other people killed by Anchorage police this year were 34-year-old Kristopher Handy, 21-year-old Tyler May and 58-year-old Lisa Fordyce-Blair. State prosecutors have reviewed the fatal shootings of Handy and May so far, and declined to file criminal charges against the officers, saying use of force was justified.
Alaska Public Media's Jeremy Hsieh contributed to this report.
