Anchorage police would get $113,318 to target distracted drivers on high-crash roads

The Anchorage Assembly is scheduled to take up a resolution Wednesday, Nov. 4, that would give the Anchorage Police Department $113,318 for distracted-driving enforcement aimed at protecting people on foot, on bicycles and on motorcycles.

The Alaska Highway Safety Office has identified multiple Anchorage roads and intersections with high levels of collisions involving those "vulnerable road users," according to an administration memo on the grant. Police would organize enforcement details on those high-risk roads and intersections to reduce collisions and deaths, the memo said.

Most of the money, $110,880, is a reimbursable grant from the state, meaning the state repays the department for what it spends. The rest, $2,438, is a transfer from the police service area fund. The money would pay mostly for officer overtime and benefits, along with vehicle use. The grant also requires a $17,085 match, which the department would cover with staff time from its operating budget.

The grant runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2027. Police Chief Sean Case approved the request, and Mayor Suzanne LaFrance submitted it to the Assembly. The resolution would take effect upon approval, and the state would repay the department monthly once it gives the go-ahead to start billing.

Alaska News reported Oct. 27 on the full slate of state police grants on the same agenda, including speed, street-racing and impaired-driving enforcement.

Anchorage recorded 92 pedestrian deaths from 2016 through 2025, with 2025 the worst year at 15, according to a state health bulletin.

Separately, officers plan to hand out free reflectors Saturday at Trick or Treat Street, set for noon to 4 pm on 4th Avenue between C and F streets, the department said on Facebook. The reflective tape comes from the Center for Safe Alaskans through a statewide pedestrian-safety initiative. The center says the tape lets drivers see a walker from 500 feet instead of 55, and it lists the Alaska Highway Safety Office as a program sponsor.