Juneau Police Chief Recognized with 2021 AFN Presidents’ Award
Monday, December 13, 2021

As Police Chief, Ed Mercer is the highest-ranking member of the Juneau Police Department. He has served as Juneau Police Chief since 2017.  

On December 14, 2021, Chief Mercer was presented the 2021 AFN President’s Award for Public Service. The award recognizes an Alaska Native who demonstrates dedication, competence, and sensitivity in public service.  

“Sealaska is proud of Chief Mercer’s dedication to community and people for the past 28 years, beginning in 1992 as a Reserve Officer with the Sitka Police Department,” said Sealaska Chair Joe Nelson, who also serves as AFN Co-Chair. 

Chief Mercer is a life-long Alaskan who grew up in Southeast Alaska. He enjoys the beauty and outdoors the state has to offer. He can also be found participating in the annual Gold Medal Basketball Tournament or at the bi-ennial event Celebration. 

Mercer joined the Juneau Police Department in 2000. His assignments have been in patrol, special ops, investigations, drug unit and fleet management. He has been promoted through the ranks from police officer to deputy chief and then, in 2017, chief of police. 

Mercer holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Herzing University in Madison, Wisconsin, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He serves on the boards for the Alaska Association of Chiefs of Police and the Alaska Police Standards Council and is a member of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Northwest Group. 

Ed Mercer is Tlingit, Raven, Coho on his paternal side. On his maternal side, Mercer is of the Iowa-Nebraska Buffalo Tribe. His parents are Barbara and Ed Mercer Sr. His grandparents were Edwin D. Mercer and Emma Williams (paternal) and Ralph Green and Helen Boyd Green (maternal). Mercer grew up in Southeast Alaska and is a lifelong Alaskan. 

View Chief Mercer’s acceptance speech: