I supported Mayor Dave Bronson’s views of tackling crime and homelessness when he ran for mayor. I know he’s in a pickle with the Assembly on homelessness. Why, though, would he turn a blind eye toward his promises regarding crime?
He retained the chief of police. I was skeptical. His comments suggested he had a discussion with the chief that included his vision of how to make significant strides in the reduction of crime. He assured Anchorage the chief was on board. Since then, no change. I know he hired more police. The fact is, obvious steps could be taken that would provide a far better optic than simply saying, “I hired more cops.” Look at the record of his predecessors. Many of them said and did the same thing. Yet here we are. Crime in this city is rampant. The statistics may not reflect it because the police aren’t even responding. Hiring more police is just not enough. We have to untie their hands. Let them arrest people. Let them stop and frisk. Let them do their job, then have their back.
From Bronson’s first day on the job, the only increased police presence anyone has seen is the bulk of our force issuing speeding tickets to families returning from the fair. When I called the mayor’s office yesterday, the polite staffer that answered the phone said, “Speeding is against the law, too.” Seriously? I promise you, the voters who showed Mayor Bronson their support regarding crime reduction were not referring to traffic violations. We need them to start arresting criminals. If you are wondering where to find them, just check with the management of every box store in Anchorage. They are all being robbed blind. They all have dossiers on the repeat criminals including photos of them and their ID. If the criminals return, they are in fact trespassing. You can arrest them for that, as well as the myriad other warrants they probably have. Instead, APD almost refuses to send police. The mayor was able, with integrity, to say the police were short-staffed up until last week. Shortly after, the whole of Anchorage saw the cars pulled over from the Palmer Hay Flats to Boniface Parkway. This demonstrates crime reduction is simply not a priority, rather increasing revenue.
Mr. Bronson, please don’t use your time in office trying to run for governor. Make your political aspiration to return this city to its former All-American self. No matter what you do, you are going to make at least half of Anchorage mad. You should take solace in knowing the half you are making mad by locking up criminals is the group that caused this mess.
— Nathan McKay
Anchorage
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