By Suzanne Downing 
The Anchorage Police Department today released its first monthly update from the new public “Camping and Fire Ordinance” dashboard, offering the first detailed look at how the city’s two enforcement measures are working.
The data show a mix of voluntary compliance, arrests, and service referrals since the ordinances took effect this summer, slight signs of progress, but also reminders of how far Anchorage still has to go to address its deepening public safety and crime-vagrancy crisis. There’s no previous similar data to compare it to, thus making it impossible to understand the dashboard’s accuracy.
According to the dashboard, under the illegal-camping ordinance there have been 18 arrests, 284 voluntary compliances where individuals moved from prohibited areas, and 20 people who accepted services such as shelter, treatment, or housing referrals. Under the fire-ban ordinance, there have been 22 arrests since enforcement began earlier this year.
Police Chief Sean Case said the figures represent the strategy aimed at creating safer public spaces and connecting people to stability through treatment or housing, rather than simply focusing on enforcement totals.
The dashboard itself is meant to show residents exactly how the ordinances are being implemented. The number of voluntary moves suggests that outreach and coordination with service providers are possibly helping reduce illegal encampments in some areas, but they may just be moving.
Before enforcement began, APD spent weeks on internal coordination and public education to ensure that people experiencing homelessness knew about the laws and available resources.
Still, the data reveal that Anchorage’s underlying problems are far from resolved. Only 20 individuals have accepted services, a small number compared to the hundreds contacted and over a thousand considered to be part of the transient unhoused community. Many people are moving from one site to another rather than finding permanent shelter or treatment, and encampments continue to appear across the city. Enforcement remains limited.
Just this past weekend, firefighters battled a massive blaze in the woods near the corner of C Street and Dowling Road, an area known for transient camps. The fire, believed to have started in one of those camps, spread quickly through the brush before crews brought it under control. It’s a vivid reminder that the danger is ongoing, and that Anchorage’s fire-ban and camping ordinances, while making a difference, have not yet solved the problem.
Anchorage’s crisis is still visible in the growing number of unsanctioned camps, the persistent fire hazards, and the strain on public safety resources. The new dashboard provides the public with insight into how the city is responding, but the early numbers show that more is needed. The problem is not solved. It is only being managed, and for many neighborhoods, that is not enough.
The public dashboard can be viewed at this link.