Anchorage police chief will retire in June, is being considered for a job in California

Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll will retire in June, the department said Wednesday. He is also a finalist to be chief at a police department in San Jose, California.

“After nearly 25 years of public service in my hometown, I plan to retire this June. It’s been an honor and privilege to serve my community as a proud member of APD,” Doll said in a statement Wednesday. “An opportunity with the San Jose Police Department has come up and I’m honored to be under consideration to be their next Chief of Police.”

Doll, a lifelong Alaskan, has been chief since 2017. He replaced Chief Chris Tolley, who retired less than two years after stepping into the position.

Doll previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and has law enforcement training from the Anchorage police academy, FBI National Academy and the National Executive Institute.

When Doll transitioned into the role of chief in 2017, he took the helm of a department recently infused with additional money to bolster hiring. Since 2017, the city has seen property and violent crime rates decline, although Anchorage experienced high numbers of homicides in 2017 and 2019.

Anchorage police did not answer questions Wednesday afternoon about the hiring process for a new chief.

Doll was announced as one of seven candidates for the San Jose position on Tuesday in a memo from the city. Eddie Garcia, the former police chief there, announced his December retirement in August. He was with the department for 28 years but retired amid controversy about the police’s use of force against protesters in San Jose in the wake of George Floyd’s death in May, according to The Mercury News.

Doll is scheduled to participate in a virtual candidate forum Saturday where he and other candidates will answer questions from the San Jose community.