JPD report critiquing state training in use-of-force report gets pushback from troopers
- Mark Sabbatini
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Local and state police officials both disavow "bear hug" technique used by officer who resigned after injuring man he threw to sidewalk this summer
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
Juneau Police Department leaders are emphasizing they don’t teach a takedown technique that caused severe head injuries to a man this summer and resulted in the forced resignation of the officer involved. The Alaska State Troopers are also adamant that any suggestion they teach such a technique is false.
Those assertions, and a dispute about the details of them, were expressed last week by officials at both police agencies as part of the follow-up investigation into a July 30 use-of-force incident by former JPD officer Brandon LeBlanc. LeBlanc, a 17-year law enforcement veteran who joined JPD in August of 2024, resigned at the department’s request Aug. 28 due to injuries he inflicted to Christopher Williams Jr. by throwing him onto a sidewalk outside the Douglas Public Library.
Bodycam and dashboard camera video shows LeBlanc standing behind Williams at the front of a patrol car, with Williams’ arms behind his back. Williams is seen arguing, but seemingly not violently resisting or trying to escape, when LeBlanc bear-hugs Williams from behind and wrestles him to the sidewalk. LeBlanc appears to hit the surface first and rolls over to pin Williams, with Williams’ head hitting the sidewalk during the roll.
A written report by JPD Chief Derek Bos presented to the Juneau Assembly at a Sept. 29 meeting states "we very quickly identified that there are tactics and techniques that our officers learn while at the (state) Basic Training Academy that do not align with our expectations and policies as a department." The report does not specifically refer to LeBlanc learning that technique at the academy and Bos stated separately the officer learned it elsewhere.
Austin McDaniel, communications director for AST, said in an Oct. 1 interview that associating actions such as LeBlanc’s with state training is a false premise.
"The Alaska Department of Public Safety Law Enforcement Training Academy based in Sitka does not train law enforcement officers, including Juneau police officers, a bear-hug-style takedown as was demonstrated in this use-of-force event," he said.
Furthermore, LeBlanc as a veteran officer did not go through the basic training academy when he came to Alaska, instead receiving a short "lateral" course largely focusing on the nuances of state law. That point was mentioned by Bos in his verbal report to the Assembly, but not in his written report.
"I will say, in this specific case with this officer, he was a lateral hire," Bos said. "This was not taught at the lateral academy. This is something that he learned elsewhere. I don't know where. I know that's a question that's still out there. I can't answer that completely and wholly right now, in part because of the investigation, but that's not something that he was taught at the lateral academy or was taught at our department."
In response to questions from the Juneau Independent about why the state academy was mentioned when its training was not a factor in the incident involving LeBlanc, JPD Deputy Chief Krag Campbell stated the department’s review of the incident included "past questions asking if this takedown is being taught to other JPD officers."
"The Alaska Public Safety Academy teaches a variety of takedowns, one of them being a technique where an officer performs a takedown from behind a person," Campbell wrote in an Oct. 2 email. "There is a key difference in what is taught and what LeBlanc did. It’s my understanding that the academy teaches around the person’s waist, and not with a bear hug style around the arms, as seen in LeBlanc’s use of force. The takedown by LeBlanc during the use of force consisted of a partial bear hug style throw, where one of the person’s arms is trapped to their sides. When you wrap your arms around another person’s arms and do a takedown, it prevents them from helping to brace their fall in any way and can increase the chance of injury."
McDaniel, when asked if the state academy teaches a technique that to a degree resembles the one used by LeBlanc, said "we have various types of bear hug techniques that are taught, but none with arms pinned" behind the person being detained.
"Many of the takedowns that we teach at our academy involve not having arms pinned, so that way people are able to break their falls," he said. "That's a very key aspect here."
The clash between LeBlanc and Williams was captured on a phone video by a person nearby who said he was the victim of a confrontation that led to the police response, with the video widely shared on local and other social media pages. That prompted protests and other criticism from residents, along some city and tribal government leaders.
The scrutiny of training that LeBlanc — and other JPD officers — received was part of what Bos called a broad review and update of the department’s policies.
"Things are still under investigation," he said. "Things are still being wrapped up. So this is just kind of the initial roadmap, the initial assessment. I don't think this will be a once-and-done. I think this will be a long process over many months, maybe years."
Among the key findings in Bos’ report is JPD policy "did not provide clear direction to officers to request priority medical response when a person loses consciousness as a result of a use of force." He told Assembly members that officers will now request a priority response for any person who loses consciousness, whether due to an officer’s actions or otherwise.
"If it's a non-priority medical call you get an ambulance," he said, explaining the difference in the urgency of aid requests. "If it's a priority medical call you get an ambulance and a fire truck. So many more resources respond. A priority medical call they come, lights and sirens. Non-priority they drive the speed limit (and) they stop for red lights."
Bos said the question he’s probably been asked most is about the department’s hiring standards and how LeBlanc ended up working for JPD. The department has suffered a significant shortage of officers in recent years, but Bos said "I think we have some of the highest hiring standards in law enforcement and I am confident that something did not slip through the cracks."
"I would much rather have short staffing issues and good quality people, then hire bad officers and be fully staffed," he said. "We remain uncompromising on our standards. Specifically with Officer LeBlanc, I will tell you his background was very impressive. As a candidate, he's an impressive officer. I firmly believe he's a good officer who made a very bad mistake on that day."
LeBlanc was a target in a lawsuit filed when he was an officer with the City of Gretna Police Department in Louisiana due to his alleged role in a July 31, 2013, traffic stop involving multiple officers. The plaintiff asserted his jaw was broken during a struggle with another officer, and LeBlanc subsequently "used excessive force and committed battery" by tasing him while multiple officers were trying to handcuff him. A jury ruled in LeBlanc’s favor.
"That tells me he did his job and did it well, and the courts agreed," Bos said.
In response to an Assembly member’s question about reviewing past records of officers from other agencies, Bos said "one of the things we ask for is every internal investigation that they've ever had. Give us as much on that as you can, good, bad or otherwise."
In response to concerns raised about Williams possibly being mistreated because he was an Alaska Native, Bos said JPD is working with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska to "educate ourselves and our officers on their culture and their people and understanding them better." He said that will likely involve communitywide as well as tribal meetings.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
