Anchorage is becoming safer, according to Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case. He said the change is thanks to a major shift in how the city is addressing public safety.
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Last fall, the Anchorage Police Department created a team tasked with combating retail theft. This spring, the department announced it would collaborate with the state to prosecute higher-level retail theft and other crimes. At a news conference in Anchorage Wednesday, Case said that’s already producing results.
“We’re seeing that these cases are being prosecuted,” he said. “We’ve only had one case that’s been dismissed. The rest are either in process or have been successfully prosecuted with a guilty conviction or plea.”
The crackdown on retail theft has resulted in more than 231 prosecuted cases. That represents $153,999 in retail loss.
The Anchorage Assembly has also passed new laws meant to address public safety. Earlier this year, members voted to outlaw threatening and nuisance behavior and disruptive intoxication in public. Last summer, members passed a law prohibiting homeless camping near parks, trails and schools.
APD doesn’t usually enforce those laws with immediate arrests, Case said. Instead, outreach teams connect people who may be in crisis with the services they need.
Those outreach teams are indicative of a cultural shift at the department, Case said.
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“Traditionally, when I grew up in law enforcement, there was kind of one answer to every problem: handcuffs,” he said. “If you committed a crime, we’d put handcuffs on you, we’d take you to jail, and that was kind of the simple solution.”
The problem with that, he said, is that arrests don’t fix underlying problems. The department wants to change behavior. That’s where outreach programs come in, by getting people to behavioral health and addiction treatment, shelter or housing and sometimes even flying them home to be with family through a program called the Good Neighbor Fund.
When those diversion tactics don’t work, officers switch to enforcement, Case said. Since last fall, 569 people have voluntarily complied with the city’s camping ordinance. APD has made 65 arrests.
Case said it’s clear from the numbers that the combination of outreach and enforcement is working. Still, he understands that it may take a while for people in Anchorage to feel safer
“If you had your house burglarized, you’re a business owner, and you’ve lost – you’ve had a negative interaction with someone engaging in menacing-type behavior around Anchorage – those things last for a while, and so it takes a little bit of time to move past that emotional response,” he said.
Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance said the city’s not done. They’re always looking for new ways to improve safety and decrease crime. One way, she said, is just by encouraging people to use public spaces, like with the Live After Five music concerts and night market in downtown Anchorage this summer.
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