There is nothing in AS 47.30.700 that prevented FBI nor APD, nor the suspect's friends and family, from petitioning the Court for an Involuntary Commitment hold. The whole -point- of the process is to let a -Court- establish, with real due process protections, if the accused is a danger to self or others.

By making that determination themselves, in the face of not just "disjointed comments about mind control" but specific comments about ISIS videos, and not filing the required petition, the FBI/APD short-circuited the process.  Given that fact, it is intellectually incoherent and dishonest to claim we need additional restrictions, with lesser due process protections.

It'd be nice if reporters would actually do investigative journalism instead of just reprinting self-serving CYA reprinting press releases. C'mon Dermot, read the statute and see how they avoided it.

"(a) Upon petition of any adult, a judge -shall- (emphasis mine) immediately conduct a screening investigation..."