Training, medical request faults cited in JPD self-assessment after violent arrest leads to officer’s forced resignation

Report by police chief says room for improvement, but overall "JPD continues to set the standard for policing"

Screenshot from footage from the bodycam worn by Juneau Police Department Officer Terry Allen during an incident on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, that resulted in the resignation of Officer Brandon LeBlanc (pictured) when he threw Christopher Williams Jr. onto a sidewalk. (Juneau Police Department)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

A Juneau Police Department self-assessment conducted after an officer was filmed violently arresting a man two months ago states some tactics taught at a statewide academy "do not align with our expectations," but overall "we are a top tier, professional law enforcement agency."

The report by Juneau Police Chief Derek Bos also states 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," which has now been corrected.

Bos is scheduled to present the report to the Juneau Assembly at its Committee of the Whole meeting at 6 p.m. Monday in the Assembly Chambers.

The assessment was conducted after Officer Brandon LeBlanc threw Christopher Williams Jr. onto a sidewalk in a July 30 confrontation outside the Douglas Public Library, resulting in Williams being flown to an Anchorage hospital with skull and other injuries. LeBlanc, a 17-year law enforcement veteran who joined JPD in August of 2024, resigned at JPD’s request on Aug. 28, a day before bodycam footage of the incident was released.

The incident was quickly denounced by city and tribal leaders, as well as Williams’ family and other residents who said it reflected a long-standing pattern of police mistreating Alaska Natives. Among the requests for action was the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska seeking a meeting with department leaders and "a renewed commitment to culturally respectful public safety."

Bos, in his report to the Assembly, stated "we are working to develop a training curriculum specific to law enforcement, to better help JPD understand the Tlingit and Haida people, while continuing to promote personal relationships in the process."

"In conjunction with Tlingit and Haida, we are exploring having a facilitated community discussion, or discussions, and trying to establish what that should look like," he wrote. "Planning for this discussion requires significant finesse, care and compassion to ensure that this will be a healthy, healing, and productive dialogue for all involved. This is perhaps the most complex element of our community engagement process, as we are sailing in unchartered waters. Again, this highlights the dedication and commitment to our community."

The incident received widespread public attention when a video of the encounter was posted online by Ibn Bailey, who said he filmed it to show a racist attack on him as a Black man by a woman outside the library who then shouted "get him" to Williams while she was being detained by police.

Williams was detained as well after refusing an officer’s order to leave the scene, resulting in his injury. Bailey, in an interview shortly after the incident, said he felt the officers protected him and he has never experienced race-related problems with JPD.

Bodycam footage shows LeBlanc taking Williams to the ground while standing at the front of a patrol car by bear hugging him from behind and wrestling him to the sidewalk, with the officer appearing to hit the ground first and rolling over to pin Williams to the ground. Williams’ head hit the sidewalk during the roll.

Bos said in an Aug. 29 interview the maneuver is "not a technique that we actually train here at JPD," which he elaborated on in his report to the Assembly.

"As we review our department arrest control training, tactics, and policies, we very quickly identified that there are tactics and techniques that our officers learn while at the (state’s) Basic Training Academy that do not align with our expectations and policies as a department," he wrote. "We are actively developing plans to address this disparity through internal training, both before and after officers attend the basic academy. We are also working to provide better clarity through policy for our staff."

Bos’ report also states the department’s policy for requesting medical assistance has been revised.

Williams was knocked unconscious by the move and the other officer responding to the incident — Terry Allen — is seen on bodycam footage requesting "a medical for one unconscious who hit the ground." The medics arrived about 10 minutes later and were able to revive Williams before transporting him to Bartlett Regional Hospital.

"Our 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," Bos wrote. "This was corrected, and our policy now requires that any time an individual loses consciousness, either from an officer using force, or if a person loses consciousness while in custody (such as potential overdose incidents, excited delirium, etc.), the officer(s) shall request a priority medical response and dispatch will, in turn, dispatch the call as a priority medical response."

Other changes include "conducting de-escalation refresher training to get back to the basics and solidify the foundation from which we work," and acquiring software allowing "near real-time analytics" of use-of-force incidents in addition to the annual reviews already required, according to Bos.

"One of the most frequent questions I have been asked throughout this incident has been about our hiring standards," he wrote. "We have implemented many changes over the last few years to our hiring process," he wrote. "Each change has served to either increase our hiring standards, increase our efficiency in hiring (without compromising our standards), or both. We currently exceed what the International Association of Chiefs of Police identifies as best practices for hiring standards."

Bos ends his assessment by stating "as with most introspective processes, the dominant question is ‘Do I like what I see?‘"

"For me personally, when I reflect upon this department, observe our community interactions, and see the selfless dedication of our staff, I can say, without hesitation, that we are a top tier, professional law enforcement agency," he wrote. "We would be remiss to believe there is no room for growth, for there is; however, as we reflect, it is clear that JPD continues to set the standard for policing."

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