Anchorage’s ‘no-cost’ city seal change now means all new police badges and patches

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Jan. 31, 2026 – When the Anchorage Assembly approved a new municipal seal late last year, city officials repeatedly assured the public that the change would cost little to nothing.

But a newly circulated internal memo from the Anchorage Police Department suggests the redesign is already creating real operational work inside one of the city’s largest departments — including new police badges and uniform patches. Not just a couple of items; every officer has multiple uniform shirts, jackets, and overcoats that must be changed out.

The memo says: “The Municipality has implemented a new official seal, which requires APD to develop updated badge and patch designs that align with this change. Lt. [X] and Lt. [Y] are leading this effort and are requesting input, feedback, and design ideas from work units across the department. Participation is encouraged to ensure the final designs reflect the perspectives and identity of APD personnel.”

While the memo does not cite a dollar figure, it marks a tangible expansion of the seal change beyond paper and letterhead — directly into uniforms, equipment, and branding for Anchorage police officers.

That development contrasts with repeated statements from the Anchorage administration and Assembly leadership that the seal change would involve either no cost or only minimal cost to taxpayers.

During Assembly deliberations in December 2025, a “Summary of Economic Effects” document provided to members stated that “no direct labor costs are expected” from implementing the new seal. Assembly Chair Chris Constant publicly downplayed any financial impact, stating that producing a new physical seal stamp for the municipal clerk would cost approximately $50.

The ordinance itself noted that implementation was “not intended to unduly burden” the municipality, and Assembly members backing the change described it as effectively cost-neutral.

Opponents at the time raised concerns that even a phased rollout would eventually lead to expenses across departments — including vehicles, uniforms, signage, printed materials, and staff time,  but those concerns were dismissed by the administration as speculative or exaggerated.

The APD memo now provides a concrete example of how the seal change is rippling outward.

Updating police badges and shoulder patches is not merely a clerical change. Badge and patch redesigns typically involve design work, approvals, manufacturing, and eventual replacement of existing inventory — costs that may be spread out over time but are nonetheless real.

The Anchorage Police Department, part of the Municipality of Anchorage, has not publicly released an estimate of what the redesign and replacement process will cost, nor has the administration updated its earlier claims that the seal change would have no meaningful financial impact.

The seal decision itself has remained controversial. Reporting by The Alaska Story documented that the design ultimately adopted by the Assembly appeared in use at City Hall before the public was asked to weigh in, raising questions about transparency and the integrity of the public feedback process. Other reporting showed that the online survey used to solicit public input was open worldwide, allowing responses from outside Anchorage.

At the time, critics argued that the seal change was being rushed through a tightly controlled process while minimizing public scrutiny — and minimizing discussion of long-term costs.

The APD memo does not contradict the Assembly’s claim that the change is being phased in, but it does underscore a key point raised by opponents: even gradual implementation requires work, staff involvement, and eventual spending that was not fully detailed when the ordinance was passed.

As additional departments begin aligning uniforms, branding, and official materials with the new seal, questions are likely to persist about how “no-cost” the change truly is — and whether the Assembly’s assurances fully accounted for the downstream impacts now reaching Anchorage’s police force.

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