MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A crime suppression unit in Montgomery has seen significant increases in arrests and seizures since its inception last year, state law enforcement leaders shared Monday.
They hope lawmakers will allocate additional funding to expand the concept indefinitely and to additional cities.
Established in June of 2024, the Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit, or MACS Unit, is a coalition of federal, state and local law enforcement officers tasked with reducing crime in the greater Montgomery area. Speaking in the Old House Chamber of the Alabama State Capitol, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Hal Taylor spoke of the unit’s success over a short period of time.
“The governor’s helping us get some funding to hopefully extend this and keep it going, not only here in Montgomery, but maybe other parts of the state, if needed,” Taylor said. “That’s the goal, and I feel like we have really made some progress with some of these high-crime areas around the city and county.”
As part of Gov. Kay Ivey’s Safe Alabama bill package, designed to improve public safety and reduce crime, $3 million per year is proposed to support a permanent, 24-man MACS Unit in Montgomery, with the potential for additional funding to expand the concept to other major cities like Birmingham or Mobile. Expansion efforts would not require legislation, only funding, Ivey’s office said.
Since the Montgomery unit’s inception, it has made 2,300 traffic stops, served 674 outstanding arrest warrants, arrested 266 individuals, conducted 56 drug seizures and confiscated 195 firearms, 103 machine gun-conversion devices or Glock switches and 51 stolen cars.
Kevin Davis, acting U.S. Attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, said at the press conference that thanks to work of the MACS Unit, his office was able to indict two Montgomery residents responsible for a string of car jackings, one of which was also charged with discharging a firearm in commission of two car jackings.
“The United States Attorney Office is proud to work with our state, local and federal partners in this endeavor, this is an endeavor that has produced results,” Davis said, who also noted that the collaboration had also led to indictments of “countless others.”
Montgomery Police Chief James Graboys also spoke at the event, and said that in 2024, there was an 18.6% drop in homicides and a 13% drop in non-fatal shootings, and that in so far this year, there had been around a 19% drop in aggravated assaults.
“We still have far to go because any crime, any assault is one too many, but yet, those drops didn’t happen in a vacuum, they happened because all of us working together, not worrying about who got credit,” Graboys said.
Alabama Daily News asked Taylor to what extent he would like to see the MACS Unit expanded, to which he said ideally, an additional two units across the state might be possible.
“I’d love to see them have the effect of what we’ve done here, whether it’s Birmingham or wherever might need us,” Taylor told ADN. “That’s what the governor wants, that’s what the (Alabama House) speaker wants, and that’s the reason for their help and the additional funding they’re trying to help us get in next year’s budget so we can stand up another unit or two.”
Attorney General Steve Marshall, a strong supporter of the MACS Unit and Ivey’s other Safe Alabama package proposals, said that the MACS Unit has already made an impact on the Montgomery community, an impact that he had witnessed first hand.
“Just as we can quantify the success based on the number of arrests, the number of stops, the number of contacts, there’s also the intangible, and I think that is what has struck me the most about this effort,” Marshall said. “It’s been those individuals that will stop me in a grocery store and be able to tell me that they feel safer.”
Alabama state lawmakers are still working to finalize their proposals for the 2026 budgets, though legislative leadership in both the State House and Senate have expressed support for expanding the MACS Unit, both in Montgomery and across the state.