JPD arrests of minorities drop 17% in 2025 compared to 2024, according to state report

Total reported crimes drop 6% in Juneau while increasing 7.2% statewide; vehicle and other thefts cited as primary causes of statewide rise

A Juneau Police Department vehicle is seen downtown on Saturday, May 2, 2026. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Arrests of minorities by the Juneau Police Department dropped about 17% in 2025 compared to 2024, while arrests of white suspects dropped just over 1%, according to a newly released annual statewide crime report.

The report also shows a 6% drop in total crimes reported to JPD in 2025, a sharp contrast to a 7.2% increase in crimes reported statewide. A 10.4% increase in larceny and vehicle thefts was cited as the biggest contributor to the statewide increase, while theft-related crimes saw a notable decline in Juneau.

The 2025 "Crime in Alaska" report published by the Alaska Department of Public Safety includes data from thirty-two agencies representing 99.6% of the state’s population.

A press release issued by the department Wednesday declares crime has decreased 36.9% since Republican Mike Dunleavy became governor in 2018, while blaming the bulk of the increase in 2025 on Anchorage, which has been led by independent Mayor Suzanne LaFrance since July of 2024.

"The number of reported offenses for the Anchorage Police Department increased by 14.6% (19.4% property crime and 1.2% violent crime) while the number of reported offenses for the Alaska State Troopers decreased by 5.9% (-6.8% for property crime and -5.0% for violent crime)," the release states.

While many of Juneau’s category listings didn’t show big shifts in 2025 compared to 2024, a 10% drop in total arrests showed a significant discrepancy by race.

A total of 325 white suspects were arrested in 2025, a tiny drop from 329 in 2024. Arrests of Natives dropped from 345 in 2024 to 303 in 2025, Blacks dropped from 43 to 35, Asians from 29 to 20, and Pacific Islanders from 18 to four.

Tensions between some Alaska Native residents and JPD arose in late August of 2025 when an officer was filmed throwing an Alaska Native man to the ground while making an arrest near the Douglas Public Library. The officer resigned at the department’s request a month later, and JPD leaders pledged to work with tribal and other local officials on reform measures.

JPD Chief Derek Bos told KTOO last month the department’s reforms since the arrest include updating its policy for requesting priority medical assistance when someone loses consciousness or potentially overdoses, and refreshing officers on de-escalation tactics and crisis negotiation techniques.

JPD reported 1,052 total crimes in 2025, compared to 1,118 in 2024. Larceny was the most frequent crime with 464 incidents (down from 503 in 2024), followed by assaults with 430 (up from 414) and burglaries with 79 (down from 108).

There were no homicides in 2025 (compared to one in 2024) and 18 rapes in 2025 (down from 24 in 2024).

The total value of all reported crimes was $654,302 in 2025, far less than $992,558. However, recovery of those losses was also far less with $196,506 recovered in 2025 compared to $592,866 in 2024.

A total of 25 officers were assaulted, 20 of them while responding to disturbance calls, with 19 involving unarmed attacks and the other six assaults with a weapon other than a gun or knife. Eight officers were injured. In 2024, 26 officers were assaulted and four injured.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.