Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed told members of the media and the public Monday during a press conference that violent crime had decreased by 28% in the city since last year.
The data Reed presented covered the period from the beginning of the year to the end of June. He stated that violent crime was down by 28.3%, homicides down 13.5%, nonviolent crime down 13.3% and non-fatal shootings down 22.5% during the first six months of 2025.
Reed credited police chief James Graboys and the Montgomery Police Department for their work and sustained recruitment, boasting of a new academy class that graduated last week.
He also stated more needed to be done, specifically mentioning regulating bail bondsmen to prevent violent offenders from being released back into the community.
"Our officers are doing their jobs," Reed said. "They're making arrests. But sometimes we're seeing the same individuals back out on the street days later. That's not a failure of policing. We need to make sure we are holding each other accountable across the system."
Notably missing from Reed's gratitude was the Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit (MACS), which was established last year to address the escalating crime in the capital city.
The MACS Unit began operating in June 2024. It was touted as a joint effort by Alabama Law Enforcement Agency secretary Hal Taylor, Attorney General Steve Marshall, Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham and Graboys. The task force involves collaborative efforts from multiple state and local law enforcement agencies to combat crime in a city plagued by a chronically understaffed police department.
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