The Sitka Tribe of Alaska recently wrote a letter to the Anchorage Division of the FBI about the questionable arrest and detainment of an 18-year-old man.
On Sept. 6, 2014, Franklin Hoogendorn was stripped, held down and then tased in his cell. The letter alleges that prejudice exists within the Sitka Police Department and asks the FBI to consult with the tribe during the investigation.
The letter asks for a few things. The first is to consider racial bias as a factor in the case.
The letter reads, “This incident is symptomatic of other actions by the Sitka Police Department which have alarmed citizens of this Tribe for many Years. Many of our citizens believe such prejudice does exist within the local police department.”
The tribe also asks in the letter to be consulted on any further changes to the Sitka Police Department’s policies. The letter cites the Clinton-era Executive Order 13175, which requires federal agencies to consult tribal governments when considering policies that would impact tribal communities.
“The Sitka Tribe of Alaska is ready, willing and able to do government-to-government consultation,” reads.
Tribal Chairman Mike Baines wrote the letter. He says, “I’ve heard of a lot of Natives getting assaulted by the police and that kind of thing. It’s pretty common. That’s one of our main concerns and it’s been coming out nationwide. … We want to do what we can to stop it growing locally.”
The tribe currently has 4,000 enrolled tribal citizens. Hoogendorn is a citizen of the Native Village of Koyuk, outside of Nome. Baines would not give details about the incidents described in the letter, nor would the Tribe’s attorney.
Baines did say that while he’s had some “respectful” and “successful” interactions with the Sitka police, he’s still bothered that the police chief said no department rules were broken during the incident.
“I think that’s a pretty big concern that the policies allowed for them to (tase) a young man is a pretty big issue,” he said.
After the arrest, Sitka Police Chief Sheldon Schmitt reviewed the footage and determined that the actions of the three officers complied with department policies. Despite that, some policies were changed. KCAW’s public records request for those policies was denied.
Schmidt the video does not depict Hoogendorn’s alleged level of resistance before being taken into custody.
City Administrator Mark Gorman and Lieutenant Jeff Ankerfelt said the City and the Police Department would not comment on the case, citing the pending FBI investigation.
Gorman previously said that the police department informed the city of the event shortly after it happened.
The FBI also would not comment on the tribe’s letter, but said that the agency follows up on all leads.
