Indicting Truth: Grand Juries, Prosecutorial Power, and Alaska’s Crisis of Justice

In this eye-opening episode of the Must Read Alaska Show, host Ben Carpenter sits down with forensic journalist and author David Ignell for a deep dive into the constitutional role of grand juries in Alaska—and how that role is being undermined by the Department of Law and the judiciary. At the heart of their conversation is the case of former Ketchikan Police Chief Jeffrey Walls, who was targeted with felony charges by three different prosecutors across three grand juries in two different jurisdictions. Each attempt was thrown out by the court, culminating in a judge dismissing the third indictment with prejudice and expressing a loss of confidence in the Department of Law's integrity. Ignell draws on historical and legal precedent—from the English roots of grand juries to U.S. Supreme Court rulings—to argue that today’s grand juries are being deliberately disempowered. He shares insights from his 131-page book and first-hand accounts of how grand jurors, witnesses, and even foremen have been silenced or threatened when attempting to investigate government misconduct. This episode explores troubling patterns of institutional resistance to transparency, including a sealed grand jury report currently locked away in a judge’s desk and the state’s redefinition of "investigative grand juries" as a means to control outcomes. Carpenter and Ignell make the case for urgent reform—and potentially federal intervention—to restore the public’s trust in Alaska’s justice system.