04/13/2022 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

           SB 7-STATE TROOPER POLICIES: PUBLIC ACCESS                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:46:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN announced that the  final order of business would be                                                               
CS FOR SENATE  BILL NO. 7(JUD), "An Act  requiring the Department                                                               
of Public  Safety to publish  certain policies and  procedures on                                                               
the department's Internet website."                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:47:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  ELVI GRAY-JACKSON,  Alaska State  Legislature,  as prime                                                               
sponsor, stated that CSSB  7(JUD) would require the Department of                                                               
Public Safety  (DPS) to publish  on its website  current policies                                                               
and procedures related  to the conduct of peace  officers who are                                                               
employed by the  department.  She argued that the  duty of DPS is                                                               
to  ensure public  safety  within communities;  thus, the  public                                                               
must be able  to access policies regulating peace  officers.  She                                                               
acknowledged that  policies and procedures are  currently posted,                                                               
but  because  of leadership  changes  policies are  inconsistent.                                                               
She said if  CSSB 7(JUD) were enacted, no  matter the leadership,                                                               
[consistent] information would be published.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:48:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BESSIE  ODOM,  Staff,  Senator Elvi  Gray-Jackson,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  presented the sectional  analysis for  the original                                                               
version of SB 7 [included  in the committee packet], on behalf of                                                               
Senator  Gray-Jackson,  prime  sponsor,  which  read  as  follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1:  Amends AS 44.441.020 to  add the Department                                                                    
     of  Public Safety  shall publish  on their  website the                                                                    
     current policies and procedures  related to the conduct                                                                    
     of  peace   officers  employed  or  regulated   by  the                                                                    
     department.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. ODOM,  continuing, paraphrased the explanation  of changes of                                                               
CSSB  7(JUD) [included  in the  committee packet],  on  behalf of                                                               
Senator  Gray-Jackson,  prime  sponsor,  which  read  as  follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1. Line 7:  Deleted "or regulated" and inserted                                                                    
     "village  public   safety  officers"  to   add  clarity                                                                    
     because VPSOs  are the  only other agency  regulated by                                                                    
     the Department.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ODOM  indicated that  Section  9  would  make the  following                                                               
changes.    She  continued   to  paraphrase  the  explanation  of                                                               
changes, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Line 8: Added the following:                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
          "(i)  The  Department  of  Public  Safety  is  not                                                                    
     required to publish policies  and procedure under (h)in                                                                    
     this   section   if   publishing   the   policies   and                                                                    
     procedures.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
          (1)  would  disclose confidential  techniques  and                                                                    
          procedures for  law enforcement  investigations or                                                                    
          prosecutions;                                                                                                         
          (2) would disclose  guidelines for law enforcement                                                                    
          investigations or prosecutions  and the disclosure                                                                    
          could    reasonably    be   expected    to    risk                                                                    
          circumvention of the law; or                                                                                          
          (3) could  reasonably be expected to  endanger the                                                                    
          life or physical safety of an individual."                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
2:50:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN opened public testimony on [CSSB 7(JUD)].                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:51:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JULIE SMYTH,  representing self, shared  that she is  Inupiat and                                                               
has lived  all over the state.   She stated that  law enforcement                                                               
agencies  across  the state  interact  in  different ways.    She                                                               
argued that  while DPS  is about public  safety, the  public does                                                               
not  always understand  the specifics  of  interactions with  law                                                               
enforcement.  She  urged support of the  proposed legislation, as                                                               
it would enable "honest, real conversations."                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:52:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN, after  ascertaining that there was no  one else who                                                               
wished to testify, closed public testimony on SB 7.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:53:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN announced that SB 7 was held over.