Juneau Police Department completes peer intervention program

Published 8:30 am Sunday, October 25, 2026

The Juneau Police Department (JPD) is continuing to advance its commitment to improving officer accountability and well-being.

This past August, JPD became the first and only police department in Alaska to become an Active Bystandership of Law Enforcement (ABLE) agency — a program from Georgetown Law’s Center for Innovations in Community Safety — which promotes a culture of peer intervention within police departments.

By successfully completing the program, JPD officers are now trained to identify situations that could lead to mistakes or misconduct and to deploy proven tactics to intercede.

“I have witnessed firsthand the ABLE program’s success in preventing officers from making mistakes by empowering fellow officers to intervene and support one another,” explains JPD Chief Derek Bos. “The end result is better services and stronger relationships with our community.”

JPD began the 12- to 18-month applications process in December 2024. Once accepted into the program, three officers completed 20 hours of training to become instructors for the program, followed by the entire department completing an eight-hour course in August that utilized scenario-based training to improve accountability.

All JPD officers will complete a refresher course each year to maintain ABLE status for the department.

JPD has also committed to maintaining policies that support officer intervention, as well as an employee wellness program launched in 2024 that provides staff and their families with mental health resources, resiliency training, wellness check-ins, a peer support team, and other wellness-related services.

“By empowering officers, and professional staff, to engage with each other when they see a colleague who may be struggling, we are better able to support our team,” Bos added. “Not only does the ABLE program empower officers to speak up when they see a potential concern, it also teaches participants to accept intervention and be responsive to better service.”