Like many Democrat-run cities, crime in Montgomery was nearing an all-time high over the past summer as local law enforcement struggled with recruitment. However, thanks to the new Metro Area Crime Suppression (MACS) program, Attorney General Steve Marshall said things were taking a turn for the better.
“[I]f you were to see the crest of that hill, it's going down,” Marshall said on a recent episode of “1819 News: The Podcast.”
He said the city has seen “amazing results” by focusing resources on the most troubled areas and simply allowing police to enforce the law.
“It's been amazing to see the results,” Marshall said. “They have served 300 now plus outstanding warrants. They've made countless new arrests. They have helped solve outstanding cases that have been around for a while, that involve violent activity.”
Marshall said that, through the collaborative efforts of the Attorney General’s office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham, and the Montgomery Police Department, the city had just one murder reported in September. Other crimes, such as robberies and burglaries, had also significantly decreased.
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“In every sense imaginable, it has been highly successful, and that's just on the data,” he said, adding that crime data, while helpful, is not always the best way to “measure” the full picture.
He gave the example of how violent gun crimes, where people are shot but no one is killed, won’t show up in the homicide data but still pose a significant problem for law enforcement.
“The fact that it doesn't show up in homicide data doesn't mean that it's not problematic is something I would be concerned about. So I would tell you that while we need to look at that data, and it's helpful, it's not always the most accurate.”
One measure Marshall does value is whether or not residents, including police officers, feel safe in their city and homes.
“This is where I think it is incredibly relevant, is the number of people that walk up to me and say, I feel safer today, had an email from someone that said, I feel comfortable going out on my porch when I didn't do that before. Or people that have brought cookies to our office to be able to say, thank you for being a part of it. But there is just this tangible perception among people that we're better off than we were four months ago.”
Marshall said he believed the program could be successfully implemented in other areas to tamp down crime and help overcome Democrat policies that often lead to dire situations.
“What I think is sad is that the policies that historically, I'll say, at least in my tenure ... that have been advocated by the Democrats are hurting the very people that they represent," he outlined. "The communities in which they are asked to represent are some of the ones that have been most adversely impacted by what's going on. And I've been very gratified to see what is taking place in Montgomery, that I think has been very positive for that community. Because here's the thing, as Montgomery goes, somehow Alabama is viewed nationally.”
Marshall continued, “I think it is something that collaboratively, potentially could be replicated in other areas, probably not with the resource of the AG's office since we're centrally located in Montgomery and don't have people all over the state. But yet, maybe there are ways that the legislature sees that this can be valuable and allow for some additional funding for that to be able to take place. But I do believe that there's a very positive story to tell out of Montgomery...”
To connect with the story's author or comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com or find him on X and Facebook.
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