North Pole Police Department officer Phil McBroom talked at length about Sgt. Allen Brandt’s personality during his eulogy Sunday. Brandt was shot six times in downtown Fairbanks and died 12 days later following complications from surgery. McBroom described his late best friend as a man dedicated to his family, Christian faith and job.
“Allen was the real deal,” McBroom said. “What he had was genuine.”
The officer also took time to address a controversial law during the eulogy. Senate Bill 91 became law in July. It makes several changes to Alaska’s criminal justice system, including reducing penalties for certain crimes.
“Today, I bury my best friend and my brother. And there is no dollar savings and no amount of social experimentation that could make that worthwhile,” McBroom said in his eulogy.
Some comments on KTVA’s Facebook stream of the memorial service said it was not an appropriate time to address the topic. However, McBroom said it was an issue so close to Brandt’s heart, the late officer discussed it while in the hospital after being shot.
“As he lay in the hospital, faced with the prospect of his career being ended, Allen spoke of how demoralized he was that our Alaska state legislators have followed the nationwide trend of decriminalizing the behavior of so many lawbreakers in order to save money by reducing the prison population,” McBroom explained.
In a phone interview on Monday, McBroom said he felt it was important to express Brandt’s thoughts during the service.
“I thought that it was appropriate to let him speak for himself, so many of those comments were straight from his mouth,” McBroom said.
Jake Metcalfe, the executive director of the Public Safety Employees Association, which represents the Fairbanks Police Department, Alaska State Troopers and other agencies, said McBroom did the right thing.
“I’m sorry if that bothers some people, but he was upset about what happened to his closest friend, and I think in that sort of situation, a friend gets to say what’s on his mind,” Metcalfe said.
McBroom said he views the passing of SB 91 as part of a larger national trend that reflects a diminishing respect for first responders. Moreover, he said Brandt’s death was the “intentional targeting of a law enforcement officer.”
“It was a revenge killing, and so I think that there’s definitely a cultural shift in the lessening of respect for law enforcement,” McBroom said.
Anthony Jenkins-Alexie is the suspect in Brandt’s shooting. His last conviction prior to the shooting was in January 2015, about 18 months before SB 91 became law.
KTVA reached out to Gov. Bill Walker and each sponsor of the bill in both the state House and Senate. Each either declined an interview or did not respond to interview requests.
KTVA 11’s Eric Ruble can be reached via email or on Facebook and Twitter.
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