MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A bill that would authorize the Alabama governor and attorney general to appoint interim police chiefs in cities facing public safety threats has gained support among state lawmakers amid pushback from mayors of some of the state’s largest cities.
Sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, House Bill 14 was filed last year in response to the struggles of some of Alabama’s major cities to retain and recruit police officers, particularly Montgomery and Birmingham. Montgomery is currently short around 200 officers, and Birmingham, more than 220 officers. Those shortages have coincided with rising instances of gun violence.
“Anything that happens in a city, if it’s a felony, it falls on (state) liability, so we own that person liability-wise until they get off parole, and so the municipalities don’t have any skin in the game; they don’t pay to try them, they don’t pay to house them,” Ingram told Alabama Daily News Tuesday. “So a lot of times, crime is not that important to them, they’d rather spend money in other parts of their budget.”
The bill advanced through a House committee last week, and is expected to be taken up on the House floor in the coming days or weeks. If ultimately passed, the bill would permit the governor and AG, collectively, to appoint an interim police chief if a municipality’s police force falls 30% below its average staffing level over the past 10 years, and would limit the interim police chief’s appointment to six months.
“We don’t want to own any police departments, we don’t want to be there any longer than we have to be, but just to help them,” Ingram said.
Opposition to the proposal has been seen from the Alabama Big 10 Mayors, particularly from mayors Steven Reed and Randall Woodfin of Montgomery and Birmingham, respectively, who characterized the measure as governmental overreach.
“Public safety is our top priority, but stripping municipalities of their authority and allowing state officials to appoint police leadership without local oversight is the wrong approach,” Reed said in a statement to ADN Tuesday.
“Instead of imposing political solutions from the top down, we need real investments in officer recruitment, retention, and community-based policing. Montgomery is committed to strengthening public safety the right way – by working with our residents, not around them. I urge lawmakers to reject HB14 and support policies that empower cities to build safer communities.”
Woodfin could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but has previously voiced his open opposition to the bill.
Just outside the House chamber at the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, a retired assistant police chief with the Birmingham Police Department, told ADN that he was “very interested” in the bill and looked forward to following it through the legislative process.
“Two cities are accounting for nearly half the violent crime in the state of Alabama; that’s very costly to the state,” Treadaway told ADN.
“Both departments are at critical staffing levels. Some people believe that that has occurred through deliberate defending; that’s why you see a bill like this. That has to be addressed, and it’s not being addressed.”
While not outright endorsing the bill, House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, showed an openness to the proposal, telling ADN that “it’s certainly worthy of discussion.”