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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Anchorage Assembly Public Safety Committee Meeting - September 3, 2025

Assembly & Committee Meetings — Wednesday, September 3, 2025

BodyAnchorage, Alaska

SessionAssembly & Committee Meetings

DateWednesday, September 3, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:42:50

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

The committee, it is Wednesday, September 3rd at 11 a.m.

0:04

And I don't know if there's a need to call the role because it's just me, right?

0:09

So I'm here, Cameron Perez Ridia.

0:12

Uh we'll have to.

0:14

Oh, great.

0:15

Chris Chris Constant is here on the phone.

0:17

Anyone else on the phone?

0:20

Mr.

0:20

Jared.

0:20

Felix Rivera.

0:22

Great.

0:22

Uh Felix Rivera and Jared Gecker on the phone.

0:27

Also, yep.

0:29

Okay.

0:30

Great.

0:31

All right.

0:32

Um all right.

0:33

So we've got a full uh meeting today.

0:35

And um, we're gonna start with the mayor's office.

0:39

Uh go ahead and uh share your name for the record, and you can go ahead and start.

0:44

Oh, yeah, that's true.

0:46

Uh APDs are gonna start us off.

0:49

Chelsea in.

0:50

Not from the mayor's office.

0:53

But uh Chelsea in update.

0:55

Uh Sean case for the record, Anchorage Police Department.

0:58

So Chelsea Inn on the 22nd.

1:00

That was a joint operation between uh the Incredible Police Department and the FBI.

1:05

It's uh an FBI case with one of our task force officers assigned to the FBI that is working in that case and has been for the last several years.

1:15

So the current status of the Chelsea and is it has been boarded up, fenced up cameras in the lot.

1:22

That is courtesy of the United States Marshall Service uh in their process that who does it, that's who does that.

1:28

And um it will remain that way until it goes through uh the federal process for the federal government to take ownership of that property.

1:40

And to date, there's no solid plan on what they're gonna do when they get control of that property when it's fully seized and belongs to them.

1:49

Uh, but that process we're working on kind of a year timeline.

1:52

We're looking, it's probably gonna be about a year before that process is complete.

1:56

It's a little bit timely uh with the feds.

2:00

Thanks.

2:01

And um, by the way, if if members have questions, uh please feel free to text me.

2:06

Um just a couple you said there's cameras.

2:09

Yes, the US Marshals put cameras on the property so that if people climb the fence or cut the fence or try to break into the property, that there's camera footage.

2:18

So it's all focusing in on the property itself.

2:21

And are and are they the ones that are managing that?

2:23

Are the in terms of the the response to the cameras?

2:26

It how does that work if they've seized it?

2:28

Are they in complete control?

2:30

Yep, that is that those are their cameras, their feeds, and they're not live monitoring it.

2:34

That's just for if there is damage or trespass, they'll collect the the data and the footage of that, and then more than likely hand it over to us to do the enforcement piece of it.

2:45

Okay.

2:46

Um, and just can you talk to us a little bit about the the surrounding area as well?

2:49

I know that there was uh I think there was other properties in the area that were that were addressed as well, uh, trap houses or other what what's happening with the surrounding area generally in terms of the patrol and and the sort of over I don't know if the word is splash of of folks that are not there anymore.

3:06

And and and and what is your what is it look like in the surrounding area?

3:10

So we started to work on some residences that have been flagged by complaints coming into the police department in terms of uh using selling, distributing drugs, most of it is drug activity that's being reported.

3:26

And so we're working on those houses right now and uh continuing to have uh a higher level of presence and enforcement in and around the area.

3:34

I think the the hotel in and of itself being gone has caused a pretty drastic decrease in everything foot traffic, crime, drugs, uh, but not certainly where it would be at a level that I think we're all happy with.

3:49

And so that's gonna continue to be a project for the next several months to continue to kind of the cleanup effort.

3:55

And I think that the generally when you have a board at property, even though it's boarded and there's a fence, uh, it still can be a magnet.

4:03

You know, anytime you have a property that doesn't look great and not appealing, it tends to attract uh various types of criminal behavior.

4:10

So we'll be in and around that area um throughout the next year and just trying to make sure it doesn't it's not a magnet to criminal activity.

4:18

Great.

4:18

Thanks.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety████████████████████████████████████████████44%

Child Care Worker Subsidy██████████████14%

Mental Health Awareness████████████12%

Public Engagement█████████9%

Homelessness████4%

Procedural███3%

Fire Department Operations███3%

Strategic Planning███3%

Workforce Development██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Anchorage Assembly Public Safety Committee Meeting - September 3, 2025

The Anchorage Assembly Public Safety Committee met on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, beginning at 11:00 AM. The meeting covered updates on the Chelsea Inn property seizure, a detailed presentation on APD's new pre-arrest diversion program, data on substance use and public safety responses, the fire ordinance's impact on outdoor fires, the Great Shakeout earthquake drill, and a comprehensive update from the Anchorage Child Care and Early Education (ACE) Fund. Public comment raised concerns about data transparency and shelter bed reductions ahead of winter.

Public Comments & Testimony

Jamie Lopez Sankridge expressed concern that bad data leads to bad policy decisions, citing Coalition data obscuring heads and beds, and criticized AO 2025-74 S2 (camping ordinance) for displacing people without stabilization. He warned that ERA funds ending September 30, 2025, may push vulnerable people back outdoors, and noted a reduction in shelter beds from 532 to approximately 300 (100 at CWS, 100 at Fantasies on Fifth/Linda's Place, 100 at Alex Hotel). He urged the committee to add more beds before winter.

Discussion Items

Chelsea Inn Update (APD Chief Sean Case): The property has been boarded, fenced, and has cameras installed by the U.S. Marshals Service. The federal seizure process is expected to take about a year. Surrounding area patrols continue, with a focus on drug-related residences. The hotel's closure has reduced foot traffic and crime, but the boarded property remains a potential magnet for criminal activity.
Substance Use and Public Safety Overview (Thea Agnew Bemben, Special Assistant to Mayor): Data from the fire department showed Narcan administration increased from 50 times in 2020 to 450 in 2024; AFD overdose transports doubled in the same period. Alaska has not seen a decrease in overdose rates, and Anchorage accounts for about half of state overdoses. Mobile Intervention Team (MIT) expansion has reduced patrol responses to mental health calls. Treatment capacity is growing: True North Recovery adding beds, Anchorage Recovery Center expanding, Salvation Army has available beds, and new provider EMED plans residential treatment in downtown. Pre-arrest diversion and medication access initiatives are in development.
Pre-Arrest Diversion Program Presentation (Chief Case & Steve Williams, APD): The program aims to create opportunities outside the criminal justice system for low-level, mostly misdemeanor offenses, focusing on neighborhoods with high crime concentration where 50% of crime occurs in 5% of locations. Diversion would connect individuals to community-based services (e.g., Alaska Black Caucus, anger management, treatment) rather than formal arrest. Victims have a say; if they oppose diversion, traditional prosecution proceeds. The program will initially roll out through specialty units (Impact Team, MIT) before expanding to patrol. The Impact Team, starting with nine employees in North Mountain View, will focus on community policing and reducing calls for service. Data showed 57% of bookings into Department of Corrections are for misdemeanors, and many individuals have serious mental health needs and lack health insurance. The program's success will be measured by reduced recidivism and crime in targeted areas.
AO 2025-74 S2 (Camping Ordinance) Update: Chief Case reported very low arrests/citations (one or two) thus far. Enforcement is coordinated with APD and CAP, and preparations for winter enforcement are underway.
Fire Ordinance (AO 2025-61) Update (Chief Strawgy, AFD): Outdoor fires increased by 70% year-to-date (637 in 2024 to 1,083 in 2025). In May and July 2025, outdoor fires rose 33% and 36% respectively over the same months in 2024, indicating no deterrent effect from the ordinance. APD citations for unauthorized burning remain very low. AFD continues to request APD when subjects are present. Private property damage has occurred. Discussion included potential for proactive enforcement events.
Great Shakeout Earthquake Drill (Amanda Loach, OEM): The annual drill is scheduled for October 16, 2025. Over 54,000 Anchorage participants are registered. OEM encouraged all sectors to register at shakeout.org and practice drop-cover-hold-on. Preparedness is a 13:1 return on investment in public safety.
ACE Fund Update (Trevor Storrs, Chair; Khalil Within, Board Member; Austin Quinn Davidson, Interim ED; Kimberly Rush, AHD): The board has been operational for 11 months. Key programs: Early Educator Child Care Subsidies (76 families enrolled, 119 children covered, first payments issued August 2025); Operational Assistance Stimulus ($2.4 million via Thread Alaska, over 200 providers receiving one-time payments); Pilot Projects & Capital Funding (48 proposals totaling over $5 million received, 13 capital and 7 pilot projects funded). Challenges included the Bid Express application platform being non-user-friendly, insurance requirements causing delays, and need for more accessible processes. The board is hiring a full-time executive director and a grants/contracts administrator at AHD. Strategic planning and the FY2026 budget are underway, with a work session scheduled for October.

Key Outcomes

No formal votes were taken. The committee received updates and presentations, with agreement to continue discussions on diversion program funding, fire ordinance enforcement options, and ACE fund budget and strategic plan at a future work session.
APD will continue to monitor the camping ordinance and coordinate winter enforcement. The chair requested Chief Strawgy share outdoor fire data with the full assembly.
The ACE Fund will present its budget and draft strategic plan to the assembly in approximately one month.
Public comment raised the need for additional winter shelter beds; no immediate action was taken.

Meeting Transcript

The committee, it is Wednesday, September 3rd at 11 a.m. And I don't know if there's a need to call the role because it's just me, right? So I'm here, Cameron Perez Ridia. Uh we'll have to. Oh, great. Chris Chris Constant is here on the phone. Anyone else on the phone? Mr. Jared. Felix Rivera. Great. Uh Felix Rivera and Jared Gecker on the phone. Also, yep. Okay. Great. All right. Um all right. So we've got a full uh meeting today. And um, we're gonna start with the mayor's office. Uh go ahead and uh share your name for the record, and you can go ahead and start. Oh, yeah, that's true. Uh APDs are gonna start us off. Chelsea in. Not from the mayor's office. But uh Chelsea in update. Uh Sean case for the record, Anchorage Police Department. So Chelsea Inn on the 22nd. That was a joint operation between uh the Incredible Police Department and the FBI. It's uh an FBI case with one of our task force officers assigned to the FBI that is working in that case and has been for the last several years. So the current status of the Chelsea and is it has been boarded up, fenced up cameras in the lot. That is courtesy of the United States Marshall Service uh in their process that who does it, that's who does that. And um it will remain that way until it goes through uh the federal process for the federal government to take ownership of that property. And to date, there's no solid plan on what they're gonna do when they get control of that property when it's fully seized and belongs to them. Uh, but that process we're working on kind of a year timeline. We're looking, it's probably gonna be about a year before that process is complete. It's a little bit timely uh with the feds. Thanks. And um, by the way, if if members have questions, uh please feel free to text me. Um just a couple you said there's cameras. Yes, the US Marshals put cameras on the property so that if people climb the fence or cut the fence or try to break into the property, that there's camera footage. So it's all focusing in on the property itself. And are and are they the ones that are managing that? Are the in terms of the the response to the cameras? It how does that work if they've seized it? Are they in complete control? Yep, that is that those are their cameras, their feeds, and they're not live monitoring it. That's just for if there is damage or trespass, they'll collect the the data and the footage of that, and then more than likely hand it over to us to do the enforcement piece of it. Okay. Um, and just can you talk to us a little bit about the the surrounding area as well? I know that there was uh I think there was other properties in the area that were that were addressed as well, uh, trap houses or other what what's happening with the surrounding area generally in terms of the patrol and and the sort of over I don't know if the word is splash of of folks that are not there anymore.

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