Hastily convened meeting: Mayor LaFance apologizes to police for denigrating police at a press conference last week
After meeting with the head of the Anchorage police union and the police chief earlier this week, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance asked her allies in the Anchorage Assembly to call a “special meeting” of the Assembly’s Public Health and Safety Committee so she could formally demand an apology she promised police for her earlier comments she made at a press conference last week that appeared to be disparaging to uniformed police officers.
LaFrance detailed how devastated she was to learn of the death of a 16-year-old girl who was shot by police earlier this month after they attacked her with a knife. In her comments last week, she expressed her sympathy for the victim’s family, but failed to mention how difficult it is for police not knowing if they will see their families again after each shift. She added fuel to the fire that liberals have set and that has made police the bad guys.
LaFrance acknowledged Wednesday that she needs to listen better to officials and take their concerns seriously.
Her new understanding of the police apparently came about after a meeting attended by numerous members of the uniformed police staff who expressed their dismay at her public comments.
“Several things can be true at once,” LaFrance said Wednesday, adding that her grief for the family of the teenager who went through a murderous streak does not diminish her support for sworn officers, and vice versa.
She and Police Chief Sean Case, who also attended Wednesday’s meeting, laid out the basic plan she has for investigating the shooting. Last week, she indicated she would strip power from internal affairs officials and hire an outside third party to investigate.
While last week she referred to routine investigations conducted by the state Office of Special Prosecutions, LaFrance today acknowledged that the state investigation must come before any third-party investigation and that all of this can take weeks or months.
Assemblymen Felix Rivera, Daniel Volland and Meg Zaletel are working to form a citizens group to monitor the police. In a surprise move, Assemblyman Chris Constant advised the assembly to slow down and wait until the facts are in on this shooting and other police-involved shootings this year.
Much of the meeting focused on the need to expand the Mobile Intervention Team, a combination of Psychologists and paramedics who can respond to emergency calls for mental health issues. Currently, there are not enough staff or resources to support the unit 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Part of the funding for the unit comes from the alcohol tax passed by voters.
LaFrance has not issued a written apology or a press release about her comments Wednesday. She uttered her words in a meeting that was not publicly announced and for which there was no published agenda.
Watch the meeting here:
