BETHEL, Alaska (AP) - Tribal leaders in Bethel have called for people to come forward if they’re aware of police mistreating Alaska Natives.
Orutsararmiut Native Council president Gloria Simeon said the board is very disturbed by a recent complaint filed against an officer in the hub town of nearly 6,300 people, about 400 miles west of Anchorage, KYUK (https://is.gd/5xXXEV) reported.
The Association of Village Council Presidents also sent a letter to Bethel Mayor Joe Klejka encouraging police to follow the law and regulations. In the July 25 letter, council president Myron Naneng also asked for assurances of mutual respect and dignity.
The complaint from Linda Green says she saw a Bethel police officer repeatedly pick up a man and slam to the ground July 12. Green has said she went to the media after officials were unresponsive.
A police report for an incident about the same time says an officer confronted a highly intoxicated Indian male who was verbally abusive. The officer feared the man had a weapon, arrested him and took him to a hospital. Court transcripts indicate the man couldn’t appear at a hearing the next day, because he was hospitalized for his injuries which may have included a broken collarbone.
Acting city manager Greg Moyer said Tuesday the incident is under investigation. He said that once it’s completed, he’ll call for an independent police organization, such as Alaska State Troopers or the FBI, to review the results.
The city also has ordered additional personal video cameras so all officers can begin recording encounters to protect both the public and police, Moyer said. Moyer was previously a city manager in Galena, a one-police officer community where a personal cam is used, he said.
“I think that is essential,” he said.
Simeon said the Orutsararmiut Native Council hopes to work with the Bethel City Council to improve the relationship of police with the community and ensure basic human rights are not being violated.
“I’m hoping that this, this is not so deeply engrained into the culture of the police department that they can’t rise above it,” Simeon said. “I’m hoping that we can work together and deal with this issue. It’s all in our best interest to make this community safe for everyone. And we all should be treated with dignity and respect no matter what our circumstances or condition.”
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Information from: KYUK-AM, https://www.kyuk.org
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