Back to Alaska

SB42 • 2026

LAW ENFORCEMENT: REGISTRY; USE OF FORCE

An Act relating to the duties of the Alaska Police Standards Council; relating to municipal correctional officers and municipal correctional employees; making municipal police officers subject to police standards; relating to the duties of the Department of Public Safety; relating to reports of incidents of use of force by state and municipal police, probation, parole, pretrial services, and correctional officers and municipal correctional facility employees; and providing for an effective date.

Firearms Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON
Last action
2025-01-22
Official status
(S) CRA
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest text are consistent but do not provide detailed specifics on training requirements for village public safety officers.

Alaska Police Standards and Use of Force Reporting

This act updates duties for the Alaska Police Standards Council, requires municipal correctional employees to meet state requirements, makes municipal police officers subject to standards similar to those for state police officers, mandates reporting incidents involving use of force by various law enforcement personnel, and establishes a central registry.

What This Bill Does

  • Updates the responsibilities of the Alaska Police Standards Council to include recommendations on reporting use of force incidents.
  • Requires that municipal correctional employees meet specific requirements set by state laws.
  • Makes municipal police officers subject to standards similar to those for state police officers.
  • Establishes a central registry maintained by the council with information about officers whose certificates have been denied or revoked.
  • Revises reporting requirements for use of force incidents involving various law enforcement personnel and correctional facility employees.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Alaska Police Standards Council
  • Municipal police departments and correctional facilities
  • State troopers, probation officers, parole officers, pretrial services officers, and correctional officers

Terms To Know

Use of force
Refers to actions that cause a fatality or serious physical injury or the discharge of a firearm at another person.
Central registry
A database maintained by the Alaska Police Standards Council containing information about officers whose certificates have been denied or revoked.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify an effective date.
  • It is unclear how existing municipal correctional employees will be affected if they do not meet current requirements.

Bill History

  1. 2025-01-22 37

    (S) REFERRED TO COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS

  2. 2025-01-22 37

    (S) CRA, JUD

  3. 2025-01-22 37

    (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

  4. 2025-01-22 37

    (S) PREFILE RELEASED 1/17/25

Official Summary Text

LAW ENFORCEMENT: REGISTRY; USE OF FORCE
An Act relating to the duties of the Alaska Police Standards Council; relating to municipal correctional officers and municipal correctional employees; making municipal police officers subject to police standards; relating to the duties of the Department of Public Safety; relating to reports of incidents of use of force by state and municipal police, probation, parole, pretrial services, and correctional officers and municipal correctional facility employees; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SB0042A -1- SB 42
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0080\A

SENATE BILL NO. 42

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON

Introduced: 1/22/25
Referred: Community and Regional Affairs, Judiciary

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to the duties of the Alaska Police Standards C ouncil; relating to 1
municipal correctional officers and municipal correctional empl oyees; making 2
municipal police officers subject to police standards; relating to the duties of the 3
Department of Public Safety; relating to reports of incidents o f use of force by state and 4
municipal police, probation, parole, pretrial services, and cor rectional officers and 5
municipal correctional facility employees; and providing for an effective date." 6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 7
* Section 1. AS 18.65.220 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 8
(b) The council shall make recommendations relating to and may adopt 9
regulations requiring a police officer, probation officer, parole officer, pretrial services 10
officer, municipal correctional officer, or correctional office r to report to a supervisor, 11
as soon as practicable, an incident in which an officer engaged in the use of force 12
against a person. 13
34-LS0080\A
SB 42 -2- SB0042A
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

(c) The council shall maintain a central registry of the names of persons who 1
have had a certificate denied and the names of police officers, probation officers, 2
parole officers, pretrial services officers, municipal correcti onal officers, and 3
correctional officers who have had a certificate revoked under AS 18.65.240(c) or 4
18.65.245. The council may enter and maintain in the central re gistry information that 5
the council obtains from the Depa rtment of Public Safety, the D epartment of 6
Corrections, or a municipality a bout each officer who has had a certificate denied or 7
revoked. The central registry information shall include the rea son for which each 8
officer's certificate was denied or revoked. The council shall adopt regulations to 9
ensure the appropriate circulation to law enforcement agencies of information 10
contained in the central registry. 11
(d) The council shall prepare a report detailing the central registry information 12
updates that have been entered in the preceding year and, not l ater than December 1 of 13
each year, submit the report to the senate secretary and the ch ief clerk of the house of 14
representatives and notify the legislature that the report is available. 15
(e) Upon request, the council sha ll assist a department, an ag ency, or a 16
municipality in developing rules based on recommendations or re gulations adopted 17
under (b) of this section. 18
* Sec. 2. AS 18.65.285 is amended to read: 19
Sec. 18.65.285. Municipal correctional employees. A municipality that 20
employs persons in a municipal correctional facility shall [MAY, BY ORDINANCE,] 21
require that those persons meet the requirements of AS 18.65.13 0 - 18.65.290 that are 22
applicable to municipal correctional officers. 23
* Sec. 3. AS 18.65.290(6) is amended to read: 24
(6) "municipal correctional officer" means a person who is emp loyed 25
full-time in a municipal correctional facility whose primary duty is to provide custody, 26
care, security, control, and discipline of persons charged or c onvicted of offenses or 27
held under authority of law; [AND THE MUNICIPALITY HAS ADOPTED AN 28
ORDINANCE UNDER AS 18.65.285 MAKING AS 18.65.130 - 18.65.290 29
APPLICABLE;] 30
* Sec. 4. AS 18.65.290 is amended by adding new paragraphs to read: 31
34-LS0080\A
SB0042A -3- SB 42
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

(10) "pretrial services officer" means a person who performs t he duties 1
assigned in AS 33.07; 2
(11) "serious physical injury" has the meaning given in 3
AS 11.81.900(b); 4
(12) "use of force" means force that causes a fatality or seri ous 5
physical injury or the discharge of a firearm at or in the dire ction of another person in 6
the course of an interaction between a police officer, probatio n officer, parole officer, 7
pretrial services officer, municipal correctional officer, or c orrectional officer and 8
another person. 9
* Sec. 5. AS 18.65.670(h) is amended to read: 10
(h) The commissioner may, in c onsultation with grant recipient s, as provided 11
in (k) of this section, adopt regulations related to village pu blic safety officers, 12
including establishing minimum standards and training, physical fitness requirements, 13
criteria for participation by a community, a municipality, an A laska Native 14
organization, or a corporation, a nd the interaction between the department and village 15
public safety officers. If the commissioner adopts regulations regarding training for 16
village public safety officers, t he training must be consistent with the standards in 17
AS 18.65.676 and disability training under AS 18.65.220(a)(3) [AS 18.65.220(3)]. 18
The commissioner of corrections may, in consultation with grant recipients, adopt 19
regulations related to the functions of village public safety o fficers providing pretrial, 20
probation, and parole supervision. 21
* Sec. 6. AS 18.65.676(a) is amended to read: 22
(a) A village public safety officer basic training program must provide 23
(1) a physical training program that includes instruction in p hysical 24
methods of arrest, use of batons , use of chemical defensive wea pons, and electronic 25
control weapons; 26
(2) instruction in 27
(A) the state's criminal and procedural law; 28
(B) the state's criminal justice system; 29
(C) police procedures; 30
(D) disabilities training described under AS 18.65.220(a)(3) 31
34-LS0080\A
SB 42 -4- SB0042A
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

[AS 18.65.220(3)]; 1
(E) domestic violence and se xual assault prevention and 2
response procedures; 3
(F) emergency trauma technician training; 4
(G) search and rescue training; 5
(H) rural fire protection specialist training. 6
* Sec. 7. AS 29.71 is amended by adding a new section to read: 7
Sec. 29.71.070. Reporting requirement for use of force. A municipality that 8
employs a person as a municipal police officer or in a municipa l correctional facility 9
shall report to the Department of Public Safety, on a form pres cribed by the 10
Department of Public Safety, eac h incident in which a municipal police officer or 11
municipal correctional facility employee engages in use of forc e as defined in 12
AS 18.65.290. 13
* Sec. 8. AS 44.28.020 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 14
(d) The department shall submit to the Department of Public Sa fety, on a form 15
prescribed by the Department of Public Safety, a report of each incident in which a 16
probation officer, parole officer , pretrial services officer, o r correctional officer 17
engages in use of force as defined in AS 18.65.290. 18
(e) In this section, "department" means the Department of Corrections. 19
* Sec. 9. AS 44.41.020 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 20
(l) The Department of Public Safety shall submit to the Federal Bureau of 21
Investigation a report of each i ncident in which a state troope r, village public safety 22
officer, or regional public safety officer engages in use of fo rce as defined in 23
AS 18.65.290. 24
* Sec. 10. AS 44.41 is amended by adding a new section to read: 25
Sec. 44.41.055. Statewide reporting of use of force. (a) The Department of 26
Public Safety shall maintain a central repository of incidents o f u s e o f f o r c e i n t h e 27
state. 28
(b) The Department of Public Safety shall report all incidents of use of force, 29
including qualifying incidents r eported to the department by mu nicipalities, to the 30
Federal Bureau of Investigation for inclusion in the Federal Bu reau of Investigation's 31
34-LS0080\A
SB0042A -5- SB 42
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

data collection program for the use of force. 1
(c) The Department of Public Safety shall prepare a report that summarizes the 2
information contained in the reports of use of force submitted by the Department of 3
Public Safety, the Department of Corrections, and municipalitie s during the preceding 4
fiscal year and, not later than December 1 of each year, submit the report to the senate 5
secretary and the chief clerk of the house of representatives a nd notify the legislature 6
that the report is available. 7
(d) In this section, "use of force" has the meaning given in AS 18.65.290. 8
* Sec. 11. AS 18.65.280(b) is repealed. 9
* Sec. 12. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 10
read: 11
APPLICABILITY. AS 18.65.285, as amended by sec. 2 of this Act, applies to 12
employment contracts entered into on or after the effective date of sec. 2 of this Act. 13
* Sec. 13. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 14
read: 15
TRANSITION: EMPLOYMENT. Each person who, on the effective date of sec. 11 of 16
this Act, is employed as a municipal correctional officer or mu nicipal police officer by a 17
political subdivision with an established police training program that met the requirements for 18
exemption under former AS 18.65.280(b) , repealed by sec. 11 of this Act, has one year from 19
the effective date of sec. 11 of this Act to comply with the requirements of AS 18.65.240. 20
* Sec. 14. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 21
read: 22
TRANSITION: REGULATIONS. The Department of Corrections, the Dep artment of 23
Public Safety, and a municipality that employs a person as a mu nicipal police officer or in a 24
municipal correctional facilit y shall, by January 1, 2026, adop t regulations necessary to 25
implement secs. 7 - 10 of this Act. 26
* Sec. 15. Section 14 of this Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 27