That’s RACIST!
It seems fashionable these days to cry racism any time someone proposes a logical solution to the problems plaguing Montgomery. Such is the case with SB298, which enables the state to intervene if a city like Montgomery is not meeting minimum law enforcement staffing requirements.
Yet to suggest SB298 is simply an attempt to take power away from a black mayor is laughable.
Montgomery has been on a downward trajectory (population, property values, locally domiciled corporations, jobs, schools, number of police officers, etc.) since the 1990s, declining under the last several administrations. Criticizing the current administration and laying some of the blame for the continued decline at its feet is no more racist than citing the same for the administrations of the last 20 years.
Of all the things declining in Montgomery, crime seems to have found a way to buck the trend. Perhaps there is a logical reason for that. Perhaps the declining number of police officers has something to do with it.
Montgomery needs more police officers. Raise your hand if you think Montgomery has enough officers patrolling the city. I won’t hold my breath. (Not you, City Hall, we know where you stand.)
SB298 aims to fix a problem literally everyone sees. What is wrong with having two officers per 1,000 residents, as SB298 proposes? What is wrong with allowing Class 3 municipalities a grace period to make incremental improvements to their law enforcement staffing? Are your feelings hurt because the state wants to help supplement your police force if you can’t make these small improvements over time? Perhaps it’s time we acknowledge the problem and do something about it, rather than avoid any sort of intervention.
Or what if people go ahead and fight the bill, making sure it dies in the Senate, paving the way for the National Guard to be deployed in Montgomery after a new governor is elected in November? Does that sound better? Of course not.
“But we don’t have the money!” As my grandmother used to say, “That’s horse hockey!” For the last several years, Montgomery has consistently budgeted for around 400 officers. Based on the 2020 census used in SB298 (population of 200,603), the requisite number of officers for Montgomery would be 402. So, the budget is in the right place.
Now, it seems the actual number of police officers in Montgomery is as protected as the nuclear codes, because no one will ever give a straight answer. That said, my guess is that the number of officers in Montgomery today is around 235 (and that’s probably being generous). Quick math says we are 165 shy of what our budget covers. And then there’s the issue of unspent funds going into discretionary funding – and who gets a say over how it’s spent. What if that budgeted money was actually used on law enforcement?
Based on the text of the bill and the current officer shortage in Montgomery, the city would need to hire a minimum of 17 net new officers in year one of the grace period to avoid a potential intervention by ALEA. That’s a 10% improvement on the 165-officer deficit, rounding up, of course. Given the current staffing levels, however, Montgomery needs to make more than the minimum increases over the next five years to be in compliance. These incremental increases – ideally around 35 officers each year for the next five years – would continue until the department is fully staffed per the ratio in the bill. For folks who say that’s impossible, consider that Birmingham has hired approximately 200 officers since January 2025. But let’s not focus on the practicality of the situation; let’s continue to play the victim.
The enforcement of the bill is equally as straightforward. If, for whatever reason, Montgomery can’t make the necessary incremental improvements each year, the bill states ALEA “may assume operational oversight” of the department. If ALEA chooses this path, the unspent budgeted money is there to cover whatever assistance ALEA provides. Now, the bill does not currently require the Class 3 municipalities to budget for the requisite number of officers, but it’s a pretty good start that Montgomery has historically done so.
The good news is that it seems Montgomery can make the incremental staffing improvements required by the bill. The bad news is that it doesn’t seem like the administration wants to make these improvements. The other good news is that the state is willing to step in and help. The other bad news is that the administration doesn’t want the help.
Montgomery has a lot of problems, but also many positives. While I didn’t grow up in Montgomery, I attended high school there (WE ARE JD), and Montgomery is now my home.
Montgomery is not unique in the problems we face; Montgomery is unique in our inability to solve them. Law enforcement staffing isn’t an unsolvable problem and while an increase in police officers is not the only solution to our problems, I have yet to meet someone who thinks adding police officers to our streets is a bad idea.
Whether or not SB298 passes, Montgomery needs help. What help looks like and how it ultimately arrives is a matter of opinion. It’s also fair, albeit another opinion, to say Montgomery needs new leadership. That opinion, however, is not racist. That’s a fact.
Barrett Gilbreath is a graduate of Jeff Davis High School and Auburn University. He is a husband, father, businessman, and conservative voice in Montgomery, Ala. A former mayoral candidate, he has a passion and love for Montgomery and wants to see it become a safe place where all its citizens are proud to call home.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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