One Agenda. Two Items. One Vote.

APD's own Safe Anchorage page states that all scanned license plate reader data is automatically deleted after 14 days.

APD's own Safe Anchorage page states that traffic camera footage is overwritten with new footage every 3 to 5 days.

APD's own Safe Anchorage page states that APD does not use Flock cameras.

APD's own Safe Anchorage page states that municipal use of facial recognition technology was officially banned by the Anchorage Assembly in 2023.

APD's own Safe Anchorage page describes a voluntary registry in which the owner keeps control at all times and APD must obtain permission to access video.

The Anchorage Assembly voted to spend just under $600,000 expanding the police department's real time crime center.

The Assembly approved the crime center funding by a vote of 8 to 4.

The Assembly took the crime center funding vote on Tuesday September 1st, 2026.

Four Assembly members voted against the funding, Sydney Scout, Keith McCormick, Daniel Volland and George Martinez.

The request was for $598,998 funded through federal asset forfeitures, according to a memorandum submitted to the Assembly.

Must Read Alaska put the appropriation at $598,998.10.

Officials say the real time crime center at full capacity could access up to 750 different cameras across the city.

Chief Sean Case said the Axon package could accommodate as many as 750 feeds at once but that APD has neither the hardware nor the personnel to come close to that.

Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case told the Assembly in August that code is not going to keep up with technology.

Assembly Vice Chair Daniel Volland said he does not think the city needs to be putting the cart before the horse when it comes to potentially sacrificing people's privacy rights.

Assembly member Sydney Scout said the protections should go into code now so they survive a shift in the political winds.

The privacy ordinance is numbered AO 2026-108.

Volland said he and his co sponsors plan to bring the ordinance back before the Assembly on September 15th.

The ordinance was proposed by Keith McCormick, Assembly Vice Chair Daniel Volland and North Anchorage member Sydney Scout.

Mayor Suzanne LaFrance's administration told the Assembly the ordinance would unduly limit some core functions of APD operations.

ADN reports the ordinance would prevent the police department from adding artificial intelligence technology with human feature recognition capabilities into the network without Assembly permission.

Alaska Public Media reports the ordinance would require that data not be shared with federal agencies without a warrant and that the crime center's use of AI be approved by the Assembly.

ADN reports the technology would be subject to a period of temporary approval and annual reporting requirements.

The Assembly last year approved $11.8 million for a new system designed to stream up to 750 camera feeds, automatic license plate readers and drone footage.

Roughly 216 residents had registered home security cameras as of ADN's August 20th, 2026 report.

There were 238 cameras registered with APD as of Alaska's News Source's August 27th, 2026 report.

Eleven cameras had been integrated with APD as of Alaska's News Source's August 27th, 2026 report.

ADN reported the crime center launched in September with one employee and about 15 cameras located at APD properties and Town Square Park.

The Assembly considered a $600,000 contract with ThunderCat Technology to buy new equipment for the Real Time Crime Center on Elmore Road.

ADN reported, citing The New York Times, that there are around 120,000 Flock cameras spread over every state in the country except Alaska.

ADN reported that data from DeFlock, an open source project tracking automated license plate readers, does not show any such mounted cameras in Alaska.

Chief Case said detectives are using artificial intelligence systems similar to commercial large language models to manage case files and query them more efficiently.

ADN reported that Anchorage businesses, particularly big box retailers, have started sharing shoplifting data among themselves and with APD through a platform called Auror.

Alaska Public Media reported that the 750 feeds include more than 250 traffic cameras around the city as well as officer worn cameras and private security cameras.

Chief Case said cameras can't be pointed into a residence and can't be used without a search warrant that a court allows.

Chief Case said the expenditure is to move the Real Time Crime Center to its final location where it can handle all the staff the department plans to put in there.

Alaska's News Source reported that a home or business that opts into integration receives a small CORE device from Axon that plugs into the camera.

Alaska Landmine reported that APD's director of community relations Gina Romero filed a copyright claim that got a Landmine video critical of Chief Case removed from Facebook.

Gina Romero wrote that after further review APD concluded the Landmine's use may be covered under a valid copyright exception and that APD had contacted Facebook to retract the request.

Alaska Landmine reported the video had more than 60,000 views before Facebook took it down.

Assembly Vice Chair Daniel Volland said he would be curious how the action on social media comports with Constitutional freedom of the press.