Juneau Police outline policy changes after July 30 use-of-force incident; medical dispatch and training reforms proposed

Chief of Police briefed the assembly on an initial internal review of the July 30 use-of-force incident and outlined multiple policy, training and procedural changes the department is pursuing. The chief said the department paused to assess “why did this happen?” and emphasized the review is ongoing, with some items still under investigation.

The chief said a concrete operational change already under way is to make unconsciousness a trigger to request a priority medical response (ambulance plus fire truck) rather than require officers or dispatch to complete a longer EMD checklist. "If an officer has somebody who's unconscious ... we're going to skip forward in the process and just dispatch it as a priority medical call," the chief said. The change is intended to shorten response time for cases in custody or during use of force when someone becomes unresponsive.

On arrest-control tactics and training, the chief said JPD wants to align policy and training so officers are taught only department‑approved tactics and so policy explicitly prohibits tactics JPD will not endorse. The chief said some techniques taught at other academies are not approved by JPD and the department must do more to remove or countermand those practices in local training.

De-escalation was highlighted as a departmental strength, but the chief proposed annual refreshers and a shorter, combined training that merges crisis negotiation basics with de-escalation techniques; dispatch would be invited to participate. The chief also proposed a data-driven review of which de-escalation techniques succeed locally to focus training on the most effective practices.

On medical training, the chief said JPD requires CPR, first aid, naloxone (Narcan) and AED use, and many officers have completed Tactical Combat Casualty Care training (bleeding control and major-trauma response). The department is exploring additional higher-level first-aid options to improve officer response in custody or trauma cases.

The chief said JPD is moving to a system of closer-to-real-time analysis of use-of-force reports (now reviewed annually under accreditation requirements) by piloting software to speed review and identify patterns or officers who need additional training. The department also plans to implement ABLE (Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement), a program that encourages officers to intervene to prevent misconduct and support wellness.

On hiring standards the chief defended JPD’s processes as stringent and said recent changes include switching to a different provider for psychological screening and raising the written-test cut score to 80% to reduce attrition and improve candidate quality. The chief said the officer involved in the July 30 incident had a robust background and that the department is not seeing hiring “slips.”

The chief said the department recognizes the importance of working with the local Tlingit and Haida community after the incident and described ongoing, cautious planning for community engagement and cultural education; he said the department intends to pursue a broader, deliberate community process that will include leadership and community members.

Assembly members pressed for clarity on the term “excited delirium,” with several members urging the chief to remove or avoid that language because of medical controversy and racialized history. The chief acknowledged the debate and framed the revision of medical and use-of-force policy as part of the ongoing review.

No formal votes were taken. The chief requested patience while the department implements changes, and several assembly members praised the department’s transparency and commitment to long-term reform.