Anchorage police chief says body camera footage of Handy shooting to be released ‘probably within a week’

Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case speaks to Assembly members connected July 19, 2024. (Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)

Anchorage constabulary officials opportunity they’ll enact a caller assemblage camera argumentation connected Monday that mandates nan merchandise of footage of constabulary shootings wrong 45 days. 

Police Chief Sean Case said nan most caller Anchorage constabulary shooting of Damien Dollison connected July 8 will beryllium held to that 45-day standard, though footage of anterior shootings whitethorn return a small longer. 

“Although nan argumentation won’t beryllium followed to a T, we’re going to travel it nan champion we can, fixed we’re already 2 months past nan first incident,” Case said. “So we’ll beryllium allowing everything nan argumentation has. And you should spot that first serviceman progressive shooting video beryllium released astir apt wrong a week.”

Case was referring to nan May 12 fatal shooting of Kristopher Handy, nan first personification changeable by Anchorage constabulary since officers were equipped pinch assemblage cameras. There person been 5 full since May, including nan shooting of Kaleb Bourdukofsky connected June 1 and nan fatal shootings of Tyler May connected June 3 and Lisa Fordyce-Blair connected June 19. 

The shootings of Handy, Bourdukofsky and May each occurred much than 45 days earlier Monday’s argumentation enactment date.

Earlier this week, Alaska Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore provided a wide overview of really constabulary assemblage camera footage should beryllium released, saying it should hap erstwhile a shooting has been reviewed by nan authorities Office of Special Prosecutions. That agency precocious determined that nan shooting of Bourdukofsky was justified. 

Besides APD and different rule enforcement entities sending complete constabulary reports, different agencies that supply records to nan Office of Special Prosecutions for their investigations see nan authorities aesculapian examiner’s office, which handles autopsies, and nan authorities crime lab, which deals pinch ballistics reports.

Case said that should activity pinch nan 45-day deadline for APD to merchandise footage. He said his department’s argumentation is modeled aft nan 1 successful Los Angeles, which has nan aforesaid timeline. 

Overall, Case says he hopes nan caller argumentation will thief nan section pass amended pinch nan public. 

“We want this accusation retired arsenic perfectly quickly arsenic we can, truthful that we’re not waiting for months, nan public’s not waiting for months to get an reply for a beautiful important incident,” Case said.

Case said footage of Anchorage constabulary shootings will beryllium released to nan nationalist connected APD’s website erstwhile available.