Opinions

Police want to be there for Anchorage

I joined the Anchorage Police Department in 1996. Unlike some of my colleagues, I didn't grow up dreaming of becoming a police officer. I saw an ad that APD was hiring and thought it sounded like an exciting job. Little did I know joining APD would be one of the most rewarding decisions I could have made! After more than 20 years I can't imagine having any other career, and I am honored to be your police chief and continue to serve you, the residents of Anchorage.

For the past two years, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz has focused on increasing staffing at APD. After continuous and consistent academies, we now have more than 400 sworn officers. While about 50 of them are still in some stage of training, you will see more officers on the streets next month. One of my main priorities is looking at how to best deploy these new resources to ensure we have a visible, proactive and responsive police force.

[Police to resume foot patrols in downtown Anchorage]

We are here to work with you, whether that means attending community councils, working on innovative ways to let you know how an officer responded to your call, asking for community input, and assistance with active investigations. For example, last fall in a community survey you told us you wanted to see more officers on foot or on bikes on the trails, in the parks and in neighborhoods. This summer we did just that. Officers on bikes rode thousands of miles of trails and through neighborhoods all over Anchorage, and foot patrols were deployed downtown and in Fairview, Mountain View and Spenard.

Now that staffing levels have increased, we can begin to dedicate more resources to these issues and look at more innovative and creative approaches to being proactive. This includes more resources for investigating midlevel drug crimes, which we believe are tied to violent and property crimes, and working closely with other agencies. Working closely with other agencies is a force multiplier for APD and allows access to more tools for tackling crime. We are planning to institute a multiagency working group that will work side by side with APD to attack violent crimes in our city. APD will join forces with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Alaska State Troopers, FBI and several other federal, state and local agencies in a multipronged effort aimed at putting violent offenders in jail and keeping them there.

[Anchorage business owners vent frustrations about crime]

Since I became chief in July, I've been overwhelmed by the number of residents who have approached me around town to let me know how much you appreciate the department. APD is fortunate to have the faith and support of our community, and we want to do everything we can to foster that bond with the citizens we serve. We want to have as many non-enforcement contacts with residents as possible. Meaning, we want to attend events, answer questions and, most importantly, take the time to talk to you to learn what is happening in your neighborhood. This form of community engagement not only benefits you by giving you an opportunity to learn what the department is doing, but it allows officers to get to know the city and build trust with everyone living here.

ADVERTISEMENT

As I look to the future of APD I am excited about what's to come. We will have more officers serving the city, more time to engage with you and new approaches to crime prevention working with our law enforcement partners. The officers and non-sworn employees at the Anchorage Police Department are truly honored to serve our city and appreciate the support we feel every day.

Justin Doll is chief of the Anchorage Police Department. Appointed in June 2017, he is a 20-year APD veteran.

The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com.

ADVERTISEMENT