BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) -- As 2024 comes to a close, the Birmingham Police Department will be relaunching an operation used to crack down on illegal street racing in the city.
On Tuesday, the department announced that Operation Knight Rider would start back up for New Year's Eve, partly as a preventative measure based on a potential wave that could hit the city.
"As a result of BPD's new focus on our intelligence-led approach and continued
collaboration with law enforcement partners, we've received information from an agency
in neighboring Georgia regarding potential street racing and exhibition driving events in
the Atlanta Metro area that may continue into Birmingham," the BPD said in a release.
Operation Knight Rider began last spring as part of an effort to cut down on street racing in the city, where reports of people being hit by cars and involved in accidents resulted in different speed tables being installed across the city. Through the operation, over a dozen people were arrested who took part in these races.
In May, the Birmingham City Council passed an ordinance to go after street racing spectators. The Alabama House of Representatives has also passed legislation curbing street racing.