Public Safety

Mayor Sullivan knows that the number one responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens.  Over the last two years crime has declined in Anchorage and the Mayor is committed to continuing that trend.

The first step Mayor Sullivan took was to conduct a deployment audit of the Police Department to ensure that this most valuable resource was being utilized to its maximum effectiveness.  Conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), some of their recommendations include restructuring the command structure and moving to more of a community policing model.  It also found that we were overstaffed in some areas and deficient in others.  Under the direction of Police Chief Mark Mew, progress is being on these recommendations that will lead to a safer community.

The Mayor also kept his commitment to maintain high staffing levels in the department and a police academy is now underway, which when completed, will result in more officers on the street than at any time in our history.

Additionally, the administration was successful in obtaining support from voters and the legislature for police vehicles and equipment.

The other branch of public safety is our fire department.  Mayor Sullivan stopped the rolling closures of fire equipment implemented by his predecessor, knowing that solving our budget challenges on the backs of our public safety departments was shortsighted.

He recently approved the acceptance of a federal grant that allows us to hire thirty new firefighters, with sixty percent of their funding coming from the grant.  There can be no layoffs in the department for three years under the terms of the grant.  While this is challenging during tough budget times, again, it reflects the Mayor’s commitment to a safe community.