Anchorage police would get state money to go after street racers and impaired drivers

Anchorage police would get money to go after street racers under one of four state grants the Anchorage Assembly takes up Wednesday, Nov. 4.

The grants total about $2.5 million. They would pay officers to target impaired drivers, speeders, distracted drivers and illegal street races through next September. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance asked the Assembly to accept them.

The street racing grant is $178,500. Most of it, about $104,000, would pay overtime for officers assigned to catch speeding and aggressive driving "during illegal street racing," according to the mayor's memo. The memo doesn't say where in Anchorage racing happens or how often.

The biggest grant, up to $1.9 million, would keep the police department's Impaired Driving Enforcement Unit running and buy it four patrol vehicles for $340,000.

The unit began in 2017. Last year, it made 642 arrests for operating under the influence and got 242 blood search warrants, according to the state's highway safety report.

A speed grant of $345,660 would send officers to areas with lots of speeding complaints, heavy traffic and high collision rates. Last year's version, a $227,000 grant, ran patrols on roads including the Glenn Highway and Minnesota Drive and produced 590 speeding tickets. Residents had named speeding one of their main traffic safety concerns in community meetings with police, the state report says.

The smallest grant, $110,880, would pay for distracted driving enforcement at roads and intersections the state flagged for crashes involving pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists.

Anchorage had 92 pedestrian deaths from 2016 through 2025, according to a state health bulletin. The death rate was highest last year, with 15 deaths.

The police department would match the grants with more than $244,000 in staff time from its own budget.